ATTN:Magazine | Not from concentrate.

Now, call me hyperbolic, but the last true rock and roll hero of our times has died – Jay Reatard (warning, tortured metaphor follows). To me, this signifies the beginning of the end of the transitional period where electronic music has been taking over; like the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, but less shit.

Hot Chip have been splicing trance, glitchy electro and pop hooks for four albums now, and are arguably pretty much the best at what they do. Seriously, name someone better (Justice are too different to count).

I realise I am making it sound as though I have been following Hot Chip since 2004’s Coming On Strong. I have not. The first time I really began to care about the band was at roughly 9:05pm Monday night, a few bars into their opening song. Colour me converted.

Live, the band is the most refreshing of antidotes to the average phallic rock-twat. All are geeky, self-deprecating, and perfectly imperfect. The tunes hold up far better than expected in a live environment; sometimes tinny sounding on record, the sonic possibilities of using a full P.A is fully utilized. As a listener you feel like every frequency is attacking your toes to the top of your head, but not in a brutal way, more like being spooned by a Sumo Wrestler.

The set included a mix of material from their history to date, including a slew of numbers from their recent One Life Stand record. The band slotted in obscure yet brilliant album tracks alongside the odd crowd-pleasing radio botherer. The difference between the older and newer tracks was only noticeable in the complexity of arrangements; a testament to the fact that they started out with something already great, and have only had to fine-tune it.

So, not only are Hot Chip an excellent live band, and not only are they one of Britain’s finest purveyors of electronic music, but they keep getting better and better, Over and Over…