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It’s eight o’clock and there’s still a considerable queue outside dance-rock superstars Pendulum’s sold-out Sheffield Academy show. This could have something to do with security, who are making everyone hand over their glow sticks on the way in. Still, at least they’re saving time by neglecting to check anyone’s bag.
Why glow sticks are strictly off-limits is a mystery. The performance isn’t being recorded, and it’s not as if Pendulum are an indie-dance act (a la The Klaxons) desperate to distance themselves from their sampled beats and be taken seriously by NME. Glow sticks are a bit of fun, and being forced to throw them into a dumpster on the way in, doesn’t make for a great start to a gig. There’s a decidedly sour atmosphere in the queue as a result. Hopefully, this was the venue’s crap decision, and not the result of some diva-strop on the band’s part.
Thankfully, things pick up once inside the Academy. There is the sort of tangible excitement normally reserved for bands who’ve reached rock-God status. Pendulum, however, are best known for getting airplay at rock clubs after three a.m, when everyone’s had far too much to drink and is in the mood for some silly dancing.
It’s not the early hours of the morning, and we’re not in a club. This is eight-thirty on a rainy Wednesday night, but everyone is drunk, giddy, and in the mood to party (despite being relieved of their glow sticks.) Crowd consensus is that tonight is going to be as great as when ‘Blood Sugar’ gets a spin down the local rock club. This actually works against Pendulum, as it’s easy to get caught up in the sampled beats and overlook just how great a live band they actually are.
Simultaneously heavier and more dance-orientated than on record, they pummel the crowd with wave after wave of twisted disco-rock which has the crowd raving and head banging in equal measures. ‘Propane Nightmares’ is simply soaring, its introduction taking on life-affirming proportions in the live environment; while ‘Blood Sugar’ is a head’s-down, no-nonsense slab of metal-trance goodness that is both deathly serious, and more fun than you can shake a stick at.
Tonight’s surprise set inclusion is ‘Tarantula.’ With its pre-recorded reggae vocals and pre-recorded RnB rhythms, it’s debatable whether this can be classed as a live song, but nevertheless it gives the crowd a much-needed break from throwing rave-shapes. And then it’s back to business, with both band and audience locking down on Pendulum’s pounding, trance beats. It’s actually pretty shocking how serious it all is. It’s like every song is the final track before the club closes and we all have to go home.
As Pendulum finish their set, a timer flickers to life at the back of the stage, counting down to the encore. People in the crowd begin shouting along, so by the time we’re into single digits, the noise is deafening. It’s a simple trick, but one that keeps cranking the anticipation ever higher until it’s almost unbearable. Then Pendulum are back onstage, with the twisted rhythms of ‘Prelude’ and ‘Slam,’ and it’s back to heads down, dancing like this is your last chance to have any fun, ever.
This is not your typical gig but, for just over an hour, Pendulum channel that single-minded euphoria of being in your favourite rock club, after too many cheap pints have been downed, and the DJ starts alternating between The Prodigy and Pendulum. The spell may be broken the moment the house lights go on and you realise it’s still only ten o’clock on a Wednesday evening, but just for an hour, Pendulum turn the Academy into the best night of your life.
You may not sit in your room listening to Pendulum but, if you’ve ever drunkenly danced to them in the early hours of the morning, then get yourself to one of their gigs next time they tour, because they’re as good live as they are in clubs.
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