“Hey! We love playing in Brighton because you fucking get us!” Algiers’ frontman Franklin James Fisher says mid-set tonight at Patterns. And he is correct. Patterns is packed, despite the blazing sun and a freak rain shower, and everyone is totally into Algiers. The band literally could have covered anything from the Frozen soundtrack or a Steps medley and the crowd would have lapped it up. Luckily, they did neither, but the more I think about it a cover of ‘Let it Go’ could be kind of awesome. But I digress, this adulation of the crowd isn’t really a shock given how their 2015 debut album was universally lauded. Now Algiers are on the cusp of releasing their follow up and, given the strength of those songs tonight, and the audience’s enjoyment of them, it looks set to follow its predecessor by being critically acclaimed and lauded.

But before Algiers graced the stage, there was the opening act to enjoy. Farhood is an Iranian MC who is based in Liverpool. His mixture of Arabian beats and scattershot vocals sounded like Alec Empire producing Nadia Tehran. It was claustrophobic, menacing and jarring. Sadly a lot of his rhymes were lost in a sea of extreme bass and trap-esque beats. This might have been that Patterns’ sound-system wasn’t devised with this kind of performance in mind, but one thing was evident, Farhood is a legit talent. He put on a show that might not have made the crowd dance/bounce, but it did make everyone pay attention and take notice. After he finished, his DJ continued playing music of mass destruction, bass wise, until Algiers took to the stage.

As showcased on their nigh on flawless debut album Algiers effortlessly mix early electro beats, industrial enounces that have been set to dystopian, doo-wop backing vocals, angular guitars, gospel vocals and classic rock with a punk attitude to create something that feels familiar and alien at the same time. This set was no different. Musical and lyrical motifs appeared and reappeared a few songs later to give the show a cohesive feeling, rather than just a band, going through the motions playing ‘the hits’.

The setlist felt like a greatest hit set with songs like ‘Black Eunuch’ flowing into new songs that pushed Algiers’ sound into new and exciting territories. One of the stand out moments was ‘But She Was Not Flying’. This is the archetypal Algiers track, but live it was something else. After an ominous industrial intro Franklin James Fisher’s vocals, drenched in gospel cool, filled Patterns. The live off-kilter piano, coupled with Ryan Mahan’s synth work gave ‘But She Was Not Flying’ an element of urgency that the studio version is missing. As the power, emotion and intensity of the music grew so did Mahan’s electro posturing. Mahan was pulling shapes and throwing shade which meant that audience participation was not only expected, but mandatory. ‘Old Girl’ was another stand out moment as drummer Matt Tong and guitarist Lee Tesche could let loose and show off why Algiers are a band to be experienced live. Searing solos and pounding drumming cemented this into everyone and they showed their appreciation by dancing and bopping accordingly.

As Algiers’ blistering set came to an end, the heaving throng assembled knew that they’d witnessed something special. Algiers aren’t a band for everyone, but there is something there that most people can get involved with. They are a band full of passion and promise who can wow you even if you are in a dour mood. With their second album in the can they now have a big enough repertoire of songs so they can change direction mid-set, if they wish, due to the crowd’s demand. If the crowd liked the more electro sounding songs, boom, if the crowd wants more of a soul vibe, skew, and if they want to go totally mental they can adapt. Hopefully it won’t be long before Algiers return to regale us with more songs of love, loss and redemption.

Nick Roseblade
Photo by Chris Teasdale

Website: algierstheband.com