âItâs lovely to have a hometown show on a night like this,â smiles Gang Of Youthsâ dashing frontman David Le’aupepe to a howling O2 Academy Brixton in his thick Aussie brogue. âWe have never played to this many people in this fucking town.â
After becoming one of Australiaâs biggest bands, Dave and co. moved to London five years ago to escape the pitfalls and âanxietiesâ of fame and lead a much more anonymous lifestyle in the capital. So itâs a little odd, then, that tonight’s near-capacity crowd at the iconic Academy marks the moment their profile inescapably bloomed overseas. But then Gang Of Youthsâ larger-than-life sound was built for community: it follows them wherever they go.
Strutting out to instigate a percussive clap intro to the majestic âThe Angel of 8th Ave.â (the best arena-smasher The National never wrote), the band instil rapture from the off. âThank you for turning up to my therapy session,â Le’aupepe later smirks â youâre welcome, Dave. If youâre gonna write an album about the passing of your father, discovering brothers you never knew you had, and connecting with your familyâs hidden Samoan roots and culture, then you might as well make it a banger, eh?
The early outings in the set of the shuffling euphoria of âThe Man Himselfâ, the synthy swells of âTend The Gardenâ and the Elbow-esque aching bliss of âUnisonâ prove that cuts from this yearâs stellar âAngel In Realtimeâ now land as well as their earlier rock juggernaut material from 2015’s âThe Positionsâ and its 2017 follow-up âGo Farther In Lightnessâ.

Throughout the show, Le’aupepe notes how surprised the band are to be on this stage. â11 years ago, they said it couldnât be done,â he says at one point, noting that âa bunch of fucking Christian dorksâ should have no place being up here. Itâs touching to see a band not shying away from sincerity, but then GoY have always been ones to wear their hearts on their sleeves. âI had to put my dog down today,â Le’aupepe later tells a devastated crowd while introducing the tender âBrothersâ. âI literally just came from the vet⊠Donât feel sad. She was 16-years-old.â
In paying tribute to his late white chihuahua, the frontman concludes that âall things must endâ, life is about togetherness and one should have no time for âinsufferable cunts who find things cringeâ. âDonât be a fucking cynic,â he adds. âWhen youâre gone, no-oneâs going to remember how many things you rolled your eyes at.” These are the words of an artist who has too often been accused of laying on the sentiment a little thick… but fuck that. You can tell from the hollering sing-along of âIn The Wake Of Your Leaveâ and the mass group exorcism of gnarly closer âWhat Can I Do If The Fire Goes Outâ that all that widescreen feeling â plus the kitchen sink â is more than welcome.
âIf you had any idea how we felt to be playing in front of you right now, you would probably explode,â Le’aupepe offers. âIf you see any of us walking around London, our new hometown, you better fucking stop and say hello.â You got it: home is where the heart is, and Brixton is bursting with love for Gang Of Youths tonight.
Gang Of Youths played:
‘The Angel of 8th Ave.’
‘The Man Himself’
‘The Heart Is a Muscle’
‘Tend The Garden’
‘Unison’
‘Spirit Boy’
‘Brothers’
‘Forbearance’
‘Let Me Down Easy’
‘Magnolia’
‘The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows’
âIn The Wake Of Your Leaveâ
‘Goal of the Century’
‘What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?’
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