REVIEW: LCD Soundsystem @ Manchester Apollo, 06/06

At NOWT, we pride ourselves in bringing you undiscovered or overlooked acts. Whilst Brooklyn-born electronic gods LCD SOUNDSYSTEM are - thankfully - neither of those things, it seemed pretty impossible to overlook their intimate show at the O2 Apollo this week.

Gleefully, the crowd consisted of music fans of all ages: the best example of LCD's varied cross-section of fans lay within the sight of a middle-aged man with a "north Mancunian scum" shirt, stood alongside a group of teens in ironic vintage getups. With the release of their latest record American Dream (2017), LCD's appeal has continued to remain as universal as ever, drawing back fans old and new to their endlessly unique brand of electronic cowbell dad-pop (a term I just made up).

Throughout the set - which opened with the tongue-in-cheek You Wanted a Hit - the band's ability to put on an incredible performance was showcased without a shadow of doubt. Whilst the band mingled expertly with one another, creating glorious and borderline deafening soundscapes, each and every person in the room threw off any pre-show inhibitions and proceeded to dance maniacally, whilst smartphones, for the most part, remained firmly in pockets.

The setlist itself was a powerhouse of raw emotion, mingled with the desire of a drug-fuelled frenzy. From the gut-wrenching beats of Someone Great and I Can Change to Yr City's A Sucker and Dance Yrself Clean, the anti-hit hitmakers were more than successful in their quest to induce just about any emotion under the sun, with excellent instrumentation and a super-cool aura to boot. To top it all off, they even paid homage to the city itself - inserting a brief, bass-laded exerpt of The Smiths' Barbarism Begins At Home after a cover of Chic's I Want Your Love.

Whilst it might be said that frontman James Murphy exudes a somewhat erratic or divisive persona (I, for one, find him charming, but this Peep Show clip seems to suggest otherwise), It's pretty difficult to find a music fanatic who doesn't adore LCD Soundsystem or rave about their live presence. For this band, the proof is definitely in the pudding. And that pudding is filled with booze, drugs, and bits of glitter.

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