“It was about ten years ago that we lived in London, we wrote a handful of these songs back then. It’s good to be back London.” This was the battle cry from Cage The Elephant frontman Matt Shultz as they arrived onstage on a sub-zero Friday night in Brixton. The crowd is spattered with older fans celebrating the band’s earlier catalogue and today’s young music lover, eager to see their later efforts, Tell Me I’m Pretty, and the album prior, Melophobia. The age dynamic causes only unison between fans though, with members sharing stories to one another outside – one older fan saying how he used to live in East London and would occasionally frequent the pub with the band back in the day.

From the off, Shultz proves that if we had any concerns that our best frontmen were dying, retiring or becoming too old, we shouldn’t be worried who is going to carry the torch in the future. His bottomless energy allows for early favourites from their 2008 self-titled debut – the likes of ‘In One Ear’, ‘Back Against the Wall’ and ‘Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked’ – to sound monumental to all. They ooze with taught anxiety and frantic guitar playing. ‘In One Ear’ sounds as bounding as it did in 2007 when it gave audiences the first flavour of what was to come. From the off the crowd appear completely ceased by Shutlz’s showmanship, buzzing off every little drop of sweat and yelp through his microphone. His torso twists in a fashion similar to Iggy Pop whilst his striding movements march with the swagger of Mick Jagger.

As Cage The Elephant thrust into newer tracks from Melphobia and Tell Me I’m Pretty they find the balance between the raucous and the heartfelt. The likes of ‘Telescope’ and ‘Cigarette Daydreams’, the latter of which Shultz played solo on an acoustic guitar that allows for moments of respite for the crowd, away from the crashing moshpits. ‘Telescope’ certainly draws on Shultz’s emotional side as lighters are waved in the air.

Their second effort is the album that stands out though – Thank You Happy Birthday seems to find a bridging gap between the age of adoring fans. Tracks such as ‘Aberdeen’ allow for thunderous guitars to wrap around Shutlz’s raspy vocals, ‘Shake Me Down’ is as anthemic to today’s youth as it was six years ago to young fans of yesteryear and ‘Right Before My Eyes’ perhaps stands as the singalong of the night.

Fans amble on top of their mates’ shoulders throughout, yelling lyrics back to the band onstage as bodies are thrown forward with the carelessness of tossing your jacket onto a sofa after getting in from work. There is something that breathes Friday night catharsis within the crowd tonight, something that has often been omitted from some of London’s ‘trendier’ gigs. There’s something irrevocably youthful about it all: cheap beer, stolen cigarettes and trying to impress the opposite sex, harking back to a time before craft beer and chin strokers took the fun out of gigs.

As an older fan, the show was majestic and put the proof in the proverbial pudding that Cage The Elephant are unstoppable when placed on a stage. Brixton Academy was undoubtedly sold out tonight with fans pleading with scalpers outside to snatch a ticket to go in. It goes down as one of the highlights of 2017 before the year has truly begun.
Tom Churchill

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