Who
Hot Chip
Support
Rosie Lowe
Where
Birmingham O2 Institute
When
18th October 2019
Price
£26.50
Who with
No-one
Position
Seated, towards the back
Comments
Two months after watching British Sea Power I'm pleased to report that my ludicrously quiet 2019 was finally springing to life, although in fact I'd been so busy travelling and attending non-music events that I still haven't written up my Kraftwerk review, which is a little concerning and most unlike me! However, as I had Gruff Rhys the following night and another few gigs ahead I didn't wish to fall further behind, so I've forced myself to write this one up the day after the show, and didn't even make any notes on the night to further try and nudge myself into doing this review properly. Hot Chip are unbelievably seven albums into their career and I'm surprised to read that The Warning was actually their second effort, and as they've amassed some decent hits in the meantime I felt I should go back for more. They'd crowned a holy trinity of live music at Reading 2006 alongside Klaxons and the tragically missed Larrikin Love, and this moment had felt so special that I'd been reluctant to see them again. By the time I purchased my ticket the only option was the balcony, which I found frustrating, and also I'm not a fan of how the O2 tickets now come attached to other bits of paper and you have to peel them off yourself, as the ticket quality is also lower. It was a Friday night show and by now I was really thinking I needed to dial down the number of shows I was watching, although I had said that and then promptly got tickets for about four things, as the flipside of keeping my eyes open for anything interesting is that, even with high standards, a lot catches my eye. I'd even watched a production of The Exorcist at the Alexandra Theatre just five days before Hot Chip.

On the day I'd enjoyed a pleasant work lunch at a new kebab shop, and also a colleague had got samosas in, so I felt satisfied and well-fed. After finishing work I got changed then headed to Wetherspoons for a cheap halloumi wrap meal with an unbeatable pint of Punk IPA, although I was shocked when it seemed the bar girl had never heard of the beer before! This gave me chance to chill until it was super off peak train times and catch up on my internet, although as doors were opening at 6pm and I couldn't find any showtimes online I was a little worried that I may miss some gig action, or more likely would struggle to find a decent seat as the balcony was unallocated seating. I learned from trawling through Twitter for any clues to the showtimes that Hot Chip are very politically minded and anti-Brexit, but to be fair any remotely intelligent person should be in any case, and the political chaos made me glad to be in fairly stable employment throughout this ridiculous period where the country just doesn't seem brave enough to admit a mistake has been made and the best course of action is to undo the bad decision and wait for the Leavers to die of old age and the fuss to fade away. But anyway, it was worth the wait for the £2.50 super off return peak train tickets, although I'm always annoyed how the ticket machines try to trick you into buying a ticket to Brum for twice the price, when after 6:30pm there is zero need to do so. It's either attempted extortion or massive incompetence, but they need to get it sorted out. I'd wrongly trusted the weather forecast when it indicated it would be dry for the most part, but fortunately the shower I walked through was quite refreshing, and I also got to hear through more Hot Chip on my iPod, with a particular focus on the Liverpool 2019 live setlist I'd recorded from their appearance at the 6Music Festival.

I should have listened to more before the show but time was short, and I must say I was surprised to see a Christmas bar already on the verge of opening near the Bullring Church. Put a fucking sock in it guys, it isn't even Halloween yet, although considering I'd achieved a longstanding dream of visiting the pub from the Wonderful Christmastime video just a couple of weeks before perhaps I was a little guilty of the same thing myself! I got to the venue and after a quite casual body search I made my way upstairs, noting that the bouncer seemed to be carefully checking the tickets and so deciding that I wouldn't attempt to get into the stalls area. It had been sold out by the time I got my ticket as I'd not jumped on it immediately, reminding me that I need to be quick to get ahead! After a visit to the loo and spying but resisting an empty bar I headed up to the top floor, again thinking that it's unusual how I've yet to see or even be remotely tempted by any show at Institute 2 or 3. I like the building and find it hard to believe that I'm so mainstream that all my groups play the main hall, but I would be intrigued to see what the smaller rooms in the venue are like. I inquired about the top balcony and was told it was a separate ticket, but I may be able to gain access if I swapped my purchase at the box office, however I was only curious so headed into the unreserved balcony area I'd long looked up at but had never had any desire to visit. And what a joy, even as I walked in and stood ahead of the bar I had an excellent view of the stage, and even better the area was still pretty quiet, and so there were plenty of seats still available for me to choose from.

I almost stayed put as standing against the upper rails provided a perfectly excellent view, however I'm glad I positioned myself on the second row to the right and at the back, as the view was even better, and not having to worry about losing stuff out of my pockets was very pleasant. After a few seconds of sitting down I really felt like I'd been missing out and that this was the place to be, and perhaps in my advancing years as I move away from the moshpit and pretending to enjoy nightclubs, the balcony of the Institute is destined to become a new favourite place. It's a shame that I have to revert to the standing area for Metronomy and then Supergrass in 2020, but I'm confident I will enjoy those shows in any case. The Institute is really lovely, and it is a travesty that so many acts used to play the Academy, as it's a colossally shit room completely ruined by the overhanging balcony, and always felt like a very poor alternative to Wolves Civic. The Civic has been closed for ages thanks to a botched renovation job, but once I consider that Birmingham also has the Alexandra Theatre, Symphony Hall, Hippodrome, Town Hall, the REP, the Crescent Theatre, Castle & Falcon and Glee Club, now I've expanded my horizons and also moved away from acts who gravitate towards the Academy I really feel I'm starting to appreciate the second city more, as the better venues also seem to result in a better crowd, or at least give me the perception of that. I left a little space as the guy to my left behind me was stretching his legs out ludicrously, and I was quick to my seat as I could see that the support act Rosie Lowe was already onstage, much as I would expect given it was around 7pm and that doors had opened a full hour earlier.

Also the low key Hot Chip banner was already draped behind the stage, and although Rosie Lowe was advertised as a solo act, she was backed by four members and I'd have put them down as a band if I hadn't been told otherwise. The one video I captured at the end of her set suggested a very loungey vibe, a bit like Amy Winehouse but with a more sultry and less grating voice perhaps, but it still wasn't my thing and I felt a little bored, although she passed the time pleasantly enough and it was great to be able to sit through it all. She teased at the start that they were already near the end of their set but this clearly wasn't true, and Rosie also did a very low-key introduction of the band also. I could take some wonderful photos from my elevated position and it felt great to not have to worry about big bobbing heads ruining my view. At the end the singer left to leave the band to wrap up the song, and even though it was only around 7:45pm the roadies quickly moved to get everything ready for Hot Chip. I never noticed any background music, so it was either nondescript or not being played, so I spent some more time checking my phone and praising the venue, although it never ceases to amaze me how much drama it is to get anyone to join me at an excellent show such as this. The next day I was watching Gruff Rhys in Digbeth for a disgustingly cheap £20, then venturing to the Old Joint Stock Theatre on Sunday afternoon for a spoof Shakespeare comedy by Blowfish Theatre, who I'd seen twice before and really enjoy. Now to be fair I try and avoid disappointment by not asking around as much as I should, but there's something wrong when no-one is interested in doing such incredible and enjoyable activities, even more so as I've sometimes gone to events my friends have encouraged me to see and they so often were unbridled mediocrity, and I don't even get the benefit of their reciprocating and attending my shows in return.

But as pissed off as it can make me if I think too much about it, ultimately it's everyone else's loss, and there were plenty of smart people in attendance, as I shifted up to make room for more people on our section of seats. As I was alone I didn't dare leave my position, and the security asked everyone to take their drinks off the front ledge, which made sense and as there were no arbitrary/dumb rules in place and I didn't witness any fuckwits throwing drinks, clearly they were doing something right. I half-suspect they'd have no qualms in confiscating a water bottle if I'd tried to get one in, but I steeled myself for this by downing a Ribena bottle from Boots, as it's not worth the stress and the hassle and I feel that boycotting the drinks in the venue is the best response, as plastic cups are a supremely shit receptacle in any case. The lights went down very suddenly and Hot Chip took to the stage at 8:20pm, with Alex leading them out. The curfew was advertised as 10pm and this was much appreciated, as you can talk about rock 'n' roll as much as you like, but I dispute just how worthwhile it is to make people miss their trains and be late home when a show can be perfectly well wrapped up by 10pm, with the only thing lost being time wasted between the sets. By contrast Gruff Rhys was advertised as not starting until 10pm the following night, as it was a "festival" at The Crossing, and yes I had seen it was advertised as being a late night but had made the very reasonable assumption that it would be DJs after the real action finishes around 11pm, and I'm not going to be happy if I need to leave early, but I suspect a mass exodus of fans at 11pm will give the venue the hint not to pull this shit in future. Luckily as I've seen Gruff Rhys a few times and tickets were only £20 I'll just accept whatever I can see, and here I am two hours after the doors had opened at that festival still writing up my Hot Chip review, as no-one else on that line-up besides Bill Ryder-Jones is of the slightest interest to me anyway.

Alexis was wearing ludicrously baggy silver shorts which looked like a skirt, along with a Peanuts t-shirt although I couldn't read whatever was written on the back. He did change his top partway through, and I respect his coolness comes from doing his own thing rather than following any trend. There were seven members in the band and I really struggled to tell if it was third "famous" member Al Doyle underneath a large Amish hat, but Joe Goddard was unmistakably visible to our right. The stage show was decent with some changing colours, and I took a massive number of photos throughout, as it's my thing now and with such a great view it would be foolish not to. The set opened with Huarache Lights and I shot a first video, it was a really strong opener and luckily thanks to listening a few times to their Liverpool set I was familiar with a good few of the tunes. Alex is a strong frontman as he is so chilled and happy to do his own thing, and in second track One Life Stand he is advocating a very dull and cosy lifestyle which is very sweet and is probably more desirable than many would care to admit. I shot a second video here and Alex was switching between his keyboards and just the mic stand, and as the build-up to the chorus was a lot longer than I'd anticipated my video was also, but I did nicely zoom in on Alex at the end, and the strobe lighting and layering/build-up of the sound was most effective. Although Michael Jackson's lawyers may have something to say about Night & Day it is a great tune, but a highlight was Flutes, as I shot a video featuring flashing red lights, and perhaps the gimmick highlight of the set as some of the band span around 90 degrees at a time in a much cooler version of the Macarena dance. Also I shot another very long video of And I Was A Boy From School because the introduction was so drawn out, and again there were pleasant red flashing lights. As I recall it just segued into another tune at the end, which worked nicely but it would have been good to have had a moment to applaud such a good number.

After another few tunes I didn't know so well I was surprised that the band launched into Over And Over fairly early into their set, and the girl next to me who'd stupidly gone for a bar/toilet break missed much of it as a result, annoyingly walking in the path of my excellent video to return to her seat partway through. I also captured the guy in front of me finally taking his coat off, but apart from this I had an unobstructed and detached view of the chaos that no doubt was taking place in the stalls below amid the blue lights. A few in the balcony stood up and I do absolutely adore that false ending, and when Over And Over kicks back in again it's just the best thing ever. I uploaded my video onto Facebook the next day and I even have finally bothered to check the lyrics and figure out what Alex is actually spelling out during the song! It has aged brilliantly and shame on anyone who doesn't love one of the defining tunes of the noughties. As Alex was dancing around he even missed his cue for the first line of the tune, and as I'd noted a few times in this set it takes much longer than I expect for the song to get going. Also the keyboardist in the middle was enthusiastically dancing around, and if Hot Chip have any qualms about playing their biggest hit they hide it very well! After another tune followed Ready For The Floor, which I shot another long video of after recognising the intro. It's just so danceable, and the way that Alex was dancing so slowly and coolly with no care for what anyone else thought was fabulous. The song seemed to meander into something else, then the band waved and left the stage, as the roadies quickly prepared for what no-one was guessing was anything other than a guaranteed encore.

The encore started with Clear Blue Skies, which may be the song where Joe sang lead, but I was shocked when the people to my right and then my left decided to leave early. I mean for fucks sake, the curfew is 10pm, it's already an hour earlier than the norm, why would anyone choose to miss some music when an early finish was assured anyway? One of these silly people managed to trip up over my withdrawn feet on their way out, and if this is what happens with a sensible 10pm curfew, it does make me wonder how many fans will stick it out when Gruff Rhys takes to the stage for 10pm at The Crossing! I was thrilled by the flashing white lights that heralded the cover of Sabotage by the Beastie Boys, which I'd half-expected was a one-off novelty cover they'd played at a previous show or two, but after seeing the enthusiasm of the band and the crowd towards it I can see why it has remained in the live set. This also made me think how much I'd have liked to have seen the Beastie Boys and what a loss that is, as this tune is an absolute stormer. I shot another video that captured the chaos, and I was grateful to not be in the moshpit, and also that the air conditioning was so great that I hadn't felt the slightest discomfort from excessive heat at any point in the show. The set then finished with an excellent tune that I barely knew - I Feel Better - as I shot a final video, and it may even have been better than No Fit State, which was the most notable omission of the night and one of my favourite Hot Chip songs, although perhaps they have accumulated enough quality in the five albums since that I can understand why they wouldn't play it.

My video here was only 50 seconds, which was short by the standards of the night but far longer than what I normally do, but with such a glorious view it seemed a shame not to take advantage and record more than the snippets I usually capture. The band waved their goodbyes and some in the balcony got to their feet for a standing ovation. Now The Exorcist show five days before had also received a standing ovation, and although the show ticked the boxes I wanted and was perfectly good, most of me feels that a standing ovation should be reserved for something that little bit extra. The band said that they were DJing at The Crossing afterwards, and I'm not sure why they were finishing so early, and if this was the new normal, or if there was a club night afterwards? Metronomy at the Institute in November had also been set to start early, but for whatever reason the band moved the times to start later. I had captured some lovely photos, and played around with the fisheye lens on my new phone a bit also to good effect. We all quickly sussed that the show was over and made our way out, and going down the stairs was an absolute nightmare, and I dread to think what would happen if there was a fire in the venue. Either it's not fit for this purpose or the Institute need to let us use these fire exits so we can disperse in decent time, as it makes for a frustrating end, and anyone who missed their train as a result will have rightly felt aggrieved. Now it still doesn't justify the fuckwits leaving early, but it is something the venue should improve upon, as they do so much else right. It gave me a little extra time to admire the chandeliers on each floor though, and on the way back I couldn't resist listening to some live Kraftwerk. Despite the early finish I still didn't get home until 11pm, driving the last step of the way from work. My ears were whistling a bit and it was never going to be the greatest concert ever, but this was a pleasant step up from British Sea Power and after Reading 2006 had been so incredible, it was great that this return viewing had proved worthwhile too.
Setlist
Huarache Lights
One Life Stand
Night & Day
Bath Full Of Ecstasy
Flutes
Hungry Child
And I Was A Boy From School
Spell
Positive
Over And Over
Melody Of Love
Ready For The Floor
Clear Blue Skies
Sabotage
I Feel Better

Mark: 8.0/10