Groove Armada ‘Black Light’ Album Launch @ HMV Forum, London – Wednesday 3rd March
Photos by Tom Bunning
We have to admit, the last time we saw the excellent Groove Armada, we were pretty bored. It was the fourth time we’d seen them live, and it just felt like both them and us (the audience at Lovebox) were very much going through the motions. Last album Soundboy Rock had some great moments as usual, but was definitely a patchy affair. I declared I’d had my fill, and wasn’t worried about seeing them again.
That was until new album Black Light reared its head. I was sceptical about their “new direction” (always a term that makes you approach with caution), but on listening to and getting to know the album – which sees them plumb for a stadium-sized, electro-pop vogue – I was all of a sudden filled with a desire to hear this powerful new sound in an appropriate setting. My expectations were set high, but I wasn’t sure how the crowd would react, given that the record had only been out a week and I presumed they would be generally showcasing tracks from it over old material. I also wasn’t sure how they’d fit any old material in, so different is their new sound to their old one.
It’s kind of ironic that they decided to call the album Black Light. When you think about it, they’ve made their name largely with heavy snatches of black music and vocalists – from the ska/dancehall flavour of Superstylin’, to Gramma Funk’s spot on Shakin’ That Ass to plenty of soul and reggae licks over the years. Their new sound however, has pretty much nothing to do with black music whatsoever. That’s not a dig though, and as soon as they blast into life tonight with Look Me In The Eye Sister, it’s clear that it’s no reason for dismay. Singer SaintSaviour plays frontperson tonight, liberated from her role in former band The RGBs and now a resplendent and engrossing lead singer. Even if she does look very much like she’s trying to be Robyn, both in terms of sartorial and hair style and dancing moves, she’s a captivating force with a belting pair of lungs on her in a classic rock chick style. Their live vocalists have changed several times over the years, so it doesn’t feel strange seeing a new face up there commanding the action. It seems she’s singing over her own recorded vocals tonight which is a bit disappointing, but that’s not to say she’s not doing the business on top of them.
The new material sparkles just as I’d hope, more rousing, powerful and in-your-face than Groove Armada have ever sounded. Epic, driving and thumping – these are not words you’d usually prescribe to the Cambridge-born duo. But you better get used to it. They reassure the sold-out crowd early on with a big new version of Song For Mutya (albeit sans Mutya), and over the course of the night they reinterpret back catalogue classics via their intense new electro/pop/rock formula. They all work incredibly well – none more so than an enormous, trance-tinged version of Easy that packs a bigger punch than the original.
But it’s the new material that shines tonight – glorious single Paper Romance sees support act Fenech Soler’s frontman come on stage to share mic duties, and SaintSaviour shines on the stunning, melancholy Just For Tonight and on I Won’t Kneel. If they’ve not been your thing before, give them another try – and if you’re a fan but worried that their new direction will alienate you, the strength of the music and vocals herein will make it hard to resist. All this said, a faithful version of Superstylin´ at the end brings the house down as usual, four green lasers firing wildly behind the band as the crowd lose the plot.
Their old stuff won’t be forgotten in a hurry, but the new skin that they are wearing in such convincing and accomplished fashion is only more proof that they are hugely talented musicians. Sorry to sound like a theatre critic, but this was an absolute triumph.
[LISTEN TO & BUY THE ALBUM IN THE PLAYER BELOW]