Crystal Castles - Leeds Festival 2012 review
'Glass' chaotic stage antics keep onlookers interested'
Photographer:Sara Bowrey
Ali Ryland - 25 August 2012
Say one thing about Crystal Castles – say they’re not boring. After a shaky start (literally; the intermittent, staggering quality of Alice Glass’ vocal contribution leaves much to be desired) the set picks up with the melodic introduction of ‘Baptism’.
Despite the occasional burst of inspiring trance, it is clear that the electronica duo are not capable of presenting us
with their ‘polished’ studio sound; early on, it seems as if fans will retire back to their tents rather
than brave the drizzle for discordant nonsense.
However, Glass’ penchant for chaotic stage antics is what
keeps onlookers interested. Standing on fans during first single ‘Alice Practice’, continuously swigging from
a near-empty bottle of Jack Daniels, it is apparent that if she wasn’t a part of the act she would swiftly have been
thrown out.
After numerous incidents involving sprawling in mud and bark and creating a makeshift tent from her own coat draped across
the mic stand, Glass’ vocals slowly gain clarity and melody, particularly during the downbeat ‘Celestica’.
As a result of these shenanigans, it is irritating when the experimental dance outfit quit the stage fifteen minutes
early, with no prior warning. Perhaps producer Ethan Kath and his deranged, wiry accomplice tired too early, perhaps they
realised that Glass’ larking was one of the few elements providing entertainment; it’s hard to say.
Click here for our full Reading and Leeds
coverage.
We want your Reading and Leeds reviews!
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and reply to our review posts
with your thoughts, insights, opinions and full-on reviews.
Send tweets to us with your reviews or comment
on our Facebook page, or in the comments section below with your thoughts.
This isn’t about getting
nasty if you don’t agree with our journalists, but an opportunity to leave your own appraisals, with the best ones getting
published on the site.
So, what are you waiting for? Let us know your thoughts!
Related Artists
Hide Search Results
