English electro songsmith, Joseph Mount and his quartet known as Metronomy, appeared for the final date of their North American tour last night at the Fonda Theater, ambushing the full Los Angeles crowd with an arsenal of whimsical visuals and antics. After a set by charismatic Australian outfit Cloud Control, channelers of the traditional “indie” sound, fans awaited the entrance of Metronomy, wondering how the subdued, lo-fi songs of their brand new LP, Love Letters would translate in a live setting. Finally, the curtain unveiled Mount and his band for a set that was anything but minimal, complete with a backdrop of pulsing light-up clouds and a mirror ball refracting beams of color overhead.
Opening with slow-burner “Monstrous” and building right into underground classic “The Look,” the songs’ innate danceability had the entire audience possessed immediately. Mount manipulated his screaming fans with the effortless swagger of entertainers like Elvis or Sinatra, with African-born bassist Olugbenga Adelekan beside him plucking out spellbinding grooves and shuffling across the stage like a 70s-disco time capsule. Each member donned full white suits, matching from the white dancing shoes to the red satin cuffs—except female drummer Anna Prior, radiantly attired up to her flowing red hair and lipstick. However, her formal presence did not diminish her ability to pulverize the drums in the slightest, locking with Adelekan in a perpetual trance of funkiness.
More impressively, Metronomy engaged the crowd in countless different musical styles and moods, from synth-pop to funk to folk to rock n’ roll without missing a beat. Blazing through anthems like clockwork, they closed with their all-time classic “The Bay,” reentered for an encore, and closed the show with a punk-rock deep-cut from their debut album, “You Could Easily Have Me”, leaving behind a contagious passion for music that fans at the Fonda would never forget.
Show Review: Jamie Lawlor
Photography: Michelle Borreggine
Metronomy
Cloud Control
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