Parisian electro house duo combine their heavy electronic beats with the prog-rock sensibilities of their new album to create an entirely new live sound for the NME Awards at Brixton Academy.
Back in 2007, the live show supporting Justice’s release of debut album “†” was a behemoth of thumping house kicks and distorted synths pumped out amongst stacks of Marshall amps and a glowing cross, centre-stage. The frenchmen, clad in leather, would bounce above their laptops and nonchalantly bring their brand of electro house to the indie kids.
Five years later, elements of that live show remain, but the rock aspirations of the still-leather-clad DJs have taken centre stage, literally. Brixton fans were wowed by some live ad-hoc twiddling on synths, revealed only when the central console of the Justice stage rig slowly parted – how very glam-rock. The Marshall amps are still there, but now flash and glow as part of the spectacular stepped-up light show.
Tonight, as before, Justice opened with the gargantuan ‘Genesis’, but this time it was interspersed with a-capella snippets from ‘Civilization’ – their comeback single from the second album ‘Audio, Video, Disco’. And that’s a taster for how most of the set was to be: an amalgamation of the heavier, dance-floor bangers of their first album, and the wailing guitars, drum fills and 70’s fist-pumping vocals of the sophomore album. Thankfully, it works – the new album is given a legitimate context. A tell-tale sign was the song they came on stage to: ‘Turn to Stone’ by ELO – this pair are bringing dad rock to the cool kids, and making them dance to it. Brixton’s Academy is a large space to fill for two DJs, but Justice had the whole place jumping and holding their hands up in euphoria, especially during soon-to-be live favourite Helix.
Naturally, hits such as D.A.N.C.E, DVNO and Phantom all made their epic appearances but their breakthrough hit, “Never Be Alone”, was only to be heard as a few brief extracts of vocal – a confirmation, if it was needed, that these boys have their sights fixed firmly on the stadium, having already conquered the dance floor.
The NME Awards were produced by Metropolis Music
Jack Beadle (Final Form)
