After having recently played at the legendary Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, British indie rockers alt-J stopped by Red Bull Sound Space at KROQ for a more intimate show and a quick Q&A session.
Pops of freshly opened cans of Red Bull and chatter filled the air as the excited crowd sardined themselves closer to the radio-stacked stage of KROQ. Hoots of applause erupted as Nicole Alvarez introduced alt-J and led the Q&A portion of the event. Among the topics discussed were the band’s origins, the rumored controversy over “Left Hand Free” and The Spice Girls. Alvarez and the band discussed how each of the members met at university and how there were limitations to how much noise they could make while practicing. This, in turn, affected the sound of their music and the way they use percussion in their songs. They also ventured onto the topic of their “conscious uncoupling” with former member Gwil Sainsbury whom they still remain good friends with and how they hope for nothing more than being able to steadily continue their work and success. Alvarez then brought up the rumors that one of the songs off their newest album This is All Yours, “Left Hand Free” was written to spite the band’s record label. This turned out to be completely untrue and it was revealed that the song was written purely out of fun and that they had all expected the label to dislike the song. Luckily, the label loved the track and it has become one of the better-known songs off the album. Towards the end of the Q&A Alvarez asked which one of the members thought the first Spice Girls album was genius and lead vocals/guitarist Joe Newman, who had previously remained rather stoic throughout the interview, promptly raised his hand and identified himself earning laughs from the crowd. The final question of the session came from one of alt-J’s “super fans” asking what the inspiration behind the lyrics of “Breezeblocks” was. Keyboardist/vocals Gus Unger-Hamilton, who seemed more at ease with answering questions than the other members, explained the track drawing a comparison between the beasts in the book Where the Wild Things Are loving main character Max so much that they would rather eat him than have him leave to a relationship in which one person desires to leave while the other begs them not to. He did confess that it was rather “dark.”
After getting to know the band a bit better, the audience was revved up to see them perform. The first song they played was “Hunger of the Pine” which was aptly described as haunting during the Q&A session. The song samples Miley Cyrus’ vocals in “4×4” and warps it out of its original country pop beat and into an almost eerie echo on alt-J’s track. Next up was “Every Other Freckle” followed by the much talked-about “Left Hand Free.” “Left Hand Free” was indeed fun with a melody simultaneously cool and playful. The crowd danced and clapped along with the band during this particular performance. Fan-favorites “Breezeblocks” and “Fitzpleasure” followed with the slower beat Matilda rounding out their set. The end of the show was met with hearty applause and thank you’s from the band and Alvarez.
Alt-J’s sound is complex to say the least with unbelievably unique lead vocals, stretching harmonies, and altogether texturized tracks. The band clearly and impressively translated all of these elements into this live performance, definitely making the audience wish they had rocked the stage for more than just that one short hour.
Set List
Hunger of the Pine
Every Other Freckle
Left Hand Free
Breezeblocks
Fitzpleasure
Matilda
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