6 Music - Music News

The gilded walls of London's Hackney Empire played host to an Arcade Fire at their sensational, barn-storming best at a special one-off gig on Wednesday.

The Canadian eight-piece, marking a long-awaited return to the UK, have spent the last year hidden away in the recording studio.

Any suggestion their renowned live performances had lost their edge was instantly laid to rest at London's famous East End theatre.

The band oozed confidence as they tried out new material from Surburbs, the new album due for release next month.

However it was the fan favourite from the back catalogue that really got the audience jumping. 'Ready to Start' was among the stand-out tracks from the new material.

A fast-paced, bass-driven opener, it showcased sparser sound than on previous records, but still distinctively Arcade Fire.

'We Used To Wait' also sounds like a single - all staccato piano and the trademark urgency of Win Butler's vocals.

The audience was behind them but it was not until 'Laika' and 'No Cars Go'  that the 2,000-strong crowd really began to be swept along with Arcade Fire's energy.

Frontman Win twirled with the microphone, falling into the hands of the crowd at his feet, while his wife and bandmate Regine Chassagne danced like a manic rag doll. 

His brother William Butler hit a stand-up piano with a tambourine, jumping on guitarists and shouting along to songs through a loud-hailer.

Then came more new material from Suburbs, including the title track - a stomping piano song with a hint of Badly Drawn Boy, and everyone took a breather.

"I still think England have a good shot at the World Cup," quipped Win in an interval between songs, generating boos and jeers from some of the audience.

"I'm practicing my banter for Reading and Leeds," he added, as if by explanation.

Then with tambourines flying and guitars held in the air, the band threw themselves into renditions of bone fide Arcade Fire classics 'Power Out'  and 'Rebellion'  sweeping the crowd up with every shouted verse.

Before the encore, another new song Month of May  even more bass-driven and darker than previous Surburbs offerings, played with the intensity that had seemed to build from the moment they stepped on stage.

At the encore it was back to the back catalogue, with 'Tunnels' and 'Keep The Car Running' leading up to the finale, the epic, anthemic 'Wake Up.'

On the floor the audience bellowed out the chorus while on the ornate balconies above, people, standing on their theatre seats, raised their hands to the heavens.

This is a band so clearly still at the top of their game, and full of the enthusiasm and confidence that made them such a live draw in the first place.

Whether the new album can stack up against the likes of Funeral and Neon Bible  remains to be seen, but as a live outfit Arcade Fire have never been better.

The band return to the UK at the end of August for headline sets at Reading and Leeds festivals.

Surburbs  is out on August 2.