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02-07-2008 09:48
Forever the darlings of the alternative world, Radiohead's position on their stadium-sized pedestal is well and truly under threat. Young pretenders Coldplay have just released their fourth album to critical acclaim and worldwide sales success. R.E.M have returned on the comeback trail with some of their most explosive tunes for a decade and Arcade Fire are still the planet's best kept secret.
First up though, support act MGMT bring their 80s inflected, disco-hippy chic to the masses. Think Prince for the post-new rave generation.
Whilst latest single 'Electric Feel' is a joyous, three-minute sugar rush, it is left slightly anaemic in the open-air space. Only breakthrough hit 'Time To Pretend' manages to catch the imagination of the ever growing audience. Still, for a band in their relative infancy, the Brooklyn duo take a deserved step in the right direction after their set at Glastonbury just two days previous.
Next up, Natasha Khan, aka Bat For Lashes takes centre-stage and earns her comparisons to Bjork and even Kate Bush with a set that draws mostly from her Mercury-Prize nominated debut 'Fur & Gold'. No matter how avant-garde and credible BFL may be, sometimes there's an overdose of her kitsch appeal that begins to grate. Like listening to background music, it's a pleasant experience yet it fails to inspire on a grander scale.
So now the controversy over the 'In Rainbows' release has died down, does the music actually stand up to the test? But most of all, in 2008, are they still relevant?
As showtime is upon us anticipation has reached fever pitch and kicking off with the pounding tribal beat of '15 Step' it's clear that they means business. The release of 'In Rainbows' saw the band create their most accessible work since 'OK Computer's epic soundscapes and it's only five songs in that 'Nude' trickles out of the PA System like a pacifist war cry. "Dont get no big ideas" Yorke intones in his delectable way, but by God, only a fool would ignore him.
Earlier in the tour, the setlist was criticised for being too heavy on their lesser-known tracks. Tonight though, the crowd pleasers are here in force. 'No Surprises', 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place' and 'Paranoid Android' showcase tunes that Chris Martin could only ever dream of.
More about Radiohead at Lancashire County Cricket Club Review on page 2
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