Support in the form of Black Shapes and Hello Mexico is greeted with warm reception but ultimately, their sets both feel like time killers leading up to the real spectacle. In no way are either band poorly received, nor do they put in bad performances by any means.
Black Shapes kick up a racket comparable to The Chariot but with added UK grit not too dissimilar to early Gallows. With desperate yells, ominous build ups and furious dissonance, it's easy to see the attraction to their live show. What's striking about their playing, however, is the extremely cut throat approach to their metallic sound which is void of all gimmickry; they literally just plug in and play fearlessly aggressive old school metallic hardcore.
At the other end of the musical spectrum and sharing the more experimental element of the headliners' sonic territory are Hello Mexico. After a brief struggle with technical difficulties, they started to get in the swing of things. Having their stage set up looking something like a living room, there's an air of intimacy and homeliness about the set they play. Drawing from post-rock vibes and more mainstream indie rock appeal, their sound bleeds Technicolor and positivity. It's a little like Straylight Run and Mumford and Sons fornicated and Hello Mexico was the result of said fornicating. An intriguing cover of Slipknot's Duality and crowd-band banter exhibits their confidence. Continuous thanks to the crowd from frontman, Myles Pereira, for watching his band in spite of the fact they're largely waiting it out for The Elijah's set, the band are humble and actually win over a fair few members of the crowd with their likeability.
To reiterate my earlier point, The Elijah aren't only one of the hardest working bands the UK has to boast from its ever growing flock of talent, they are among some of the most consistently good bands also. With 2010's well received EP release A Son: A Disease, the band have gone from strength to strength, touring and hitting stages regularly whilst creating new and exciting D.I.Y ways to appeal to their ever growing crowd, the most interesting being "Make Your Own Merch" and a short documentary into their band.
The release of debut album I Loved, I Hated, I Destroyed, I Created was gigantic in sonic stature and saw the band capitalise on their potential to be one of the most exciting acts outside of the mainstream formula of post-rock and hardcore. It feels as if all their work has led up to what unfolded as they hit the stage of Camden's Underworld to play the album in full with a string quartet.
For a quartet, the enormity that is brought to the bands live sound, as the opening track In Misery resonated through the room, is not only a pleasure to listen to but truly a sight to behold. With their usual aesthetic of minimalistic lighting, bar their haunting projections of landscapes and common life, it feels as if everything's come full circle thanks to the visual depth marrying so beautifully with the sorrowful poignancy that their music creates.
Hands reached for the skies and lungs were evacuated of all oxygen as The Underworld sang along, revelling in the almost cult-like response between band and fans, the audience were totally absorbed by the performance. A weighty, bleak performance of I Hated echoes and bears the heaviest atmosphere as the drums and vocals rebound off the walls, before the climax soars and juxtaposes the burden earlier felt beautifully.
With the highlight performance being instrumental In Regret's transition into I Destroyed, the whole venue became overcome by intensity from the grandiosity of the band. I Destroyed, the first single taken from the album, generates mass vocal response and the climax is nothing short of exquisite.
Where earlier cut I Hated exposed the heftier emotional side, it's closer I Created that is the most captivating as it showcases the fragility of The Elijah's unique sound along with raw emotion that is matched by few. As the crowd and vocalist Dan Tomley bark the last lines of I Created, "Heaven's not a place you go when you die, it's a place you live when you're in love and live. I was there but I walked away", the band depart and the room pauses breathlessly and in stunned awe before calling for an encore. The band, however, end it on a sweet note and thank those who just witnessed possibly one of the best sets of the year.
