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M83 - Birmingham HMV Institute - Saturday 21 Jan 2012

Having finally released his dream double-album last year - something which he had longed to achieve since childhood - Anthony Gonzalez’s energy and passion on stage affirmed his contentment with his new release.

Founded in France in 2001 by Anthony Gonzalez and Nicolas Fromageau, M83’s self-titled first album never reached a wider audience than inside of Europe. And after touring their second album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, Gonzalez and Fromageau went their separate ways. Since then, with another four albums under his belt, Gonzalez has gone on to write successful albums predominantly about youth and being a teenager, which have struck a chord with many people. As well as supporting bands such as Kings of Leon, The Killers and Depeche mode, M83 composed music for Black Heaven by French director Gilles Marchand in 2010. With the fifth studio album Saturdays = Youth (2008) taking a progressively more 80’s turn, this paved the way for the polished and exciting double-album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming in 2011.

The expectant crowd were greeted with a familiar face. The creature we see on the album cover of Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, wandered onto the stage to a soundtrack out of this world, as if to suggest M83 were other worldly.

Then arriving on stage, accompanied by Morgan Kibby in a shiny mermaid-like dress and Jordan Lawlor with his curly blonde locks and monochrome ensemble, Anthony Gonzalez looked fairly normal. Going straight into The Intro, the immediate depth of sound was evident. The band swayed and nodded to the pulsing beat, and Morgan Kibby’s harmonies cut through Gonzalez’s subtle voice. The opening chords of Kim and Jesse sent the crowd wild, and again, Kibby’s harmonies proved a welcomed break to Anthony’s familiarity. 

After the crowd warmed slightly, Anthony took his time to finally say hello, four songs in, “Hi guys. This venue’s so big. Look at all you guys! Thanks for coming…” better late than never. Wait and Claudia Lewis commanded everyone’s attention. Not a single voice could be heard in the crowd, and every face had a euphoric, joyful smile across it as Anthony’s voice cried out through the misty atmosphere.

As the songs went on, the band became more and more energetic and outlandish, prompting Anthony to finally take off his T-shirt to reveal his black vest and sculpted arms. After Steve McQueen, it was obvious that Anthony was a little twitchy. He shouted out, “What’s up guys! Why’s everyone so shy of dancing? Let’s dance a little bit.” The Midnight City intro rang out, and the obvious ‘do as you’re told’ dancing ensued. A girl on sax came out for the latter part of the song, and Anthony just went wild. He mounted the protective metal barrier, shook people’s hands and then just dove straight into the middle of the crowd. He made it back to the stage within minutes and began to take photos of the crowd on his iPhone - which obviously sent everyone into a chaotic screaming, jumping mess.

 The encore was Skin of the Night, which really set the old fans apart from the new. Then straight into Couleurs. Jordan Lawler was jumping up onto the amps and everyone was animated like never before. The stalls were raving, and if I’d come for a fucking good dance, Couleurs would have been the perfect song to do just that. Everyone was smiling and jumping, and the atmosphere was electric. After the final chord, Anthony raised his guitar up in the air in a victory salute - really summing up the success of the whole night. They delivered everything you would expect M83 to deliver. Their passionate, energetic and dramatic performance excelled the crowd from a still pit of gazing, marveling eyes, to a jumping, singing, animated bunch after an hour or so. Their live sound surpassed anything you will hear on the albums. Worth every penny!