The O2 Arena is a vast, sci-fi corporate ocean liner. I am reminded of the entertainment spaceship in the Fifth Element; huge blazing advertisements, Disney Land queues, oddly retro uniforms for the staff etc.. It’s not the ideal venue for the deeply heartfelt and anti-mainstream music of Devendra Banhart and Arcade Fire. The vastness of the space seemed to overwhelm Banhart and his band, resulting in a performance that - despite an audience exceeding a thousand - felt like an empty gig on top of a pub. He was charming but rambling, and at times we couldn’t make out what he was saying. He was always going to be overshadowed by what came next.
Arcade Fire fill the space with sound and light, putting on the most uplifting show I have seen this year. The light and video art is spectacular, oscillating from the warm sunny hues of suburbia to brilliantly absurd aquamarine people swimming and gasping behind the band. Régine Chassange looks miraculous in a golden mirror ball dress that never stopped shimmering for a second. The sound is vast, beautiful, and so faithful to their recorded work it was a marvel. The constant variation of instrumentation, coupled with the mad enthusiasm of the band, drives home the rich songs. A highpoint has to be the beautiful Haiti: a softer, gentler moment in a terrifically stirring set. They play everything you could want, opening with Ready to Start and closing with the rousing, anthemic coupling of Neighbourhood #3 and Wake Up. We sang all the way home.