Live music review: alt-J and Portugal the Man provides welcome SXSW reprieve
Back in college, I worked in the geology department, splicing satellite images of all the rivers of the world together. I remember coming across the album cover for alt-J’s ‘An Awesome Wave’ and thinking it looked like the rivers I was piecing together. Using Google, I discovered the album cover was a depiction of the Ganges, the world’s largest river delta. When alt-J was looking up the delta symbol (alt and J on a keyboard make this symbol), they instead came across the Ganges. My inner nerd heartily approved.
alt-J came to be one of the most intelligent bands I listened to then. Their sound, lights, the entire production, were all meticulously crafted together. The band performed on a chilly Saturday (March 12) night at the Austin 360Amphitheater at COTA, distant enough to offer a reprieve from the frenzy of the downtown SXSW crowd.
Portugal. The Man and Windsor opened for alt-J. Portugal. The Man delivered a high-energy performance; a cameraman wandered all over the stage to capture each member on the live screen provided for audience members. Each image was intentionally distorted for creative effect.
The crowd really perked up for their second to last song, radio hit “Feel It Still”. The images on the big screen transitioned between psychedelic processed closeups of the members and writhing, erotic 3D animated bodies. “Purple Yellow Red Blue” focused on making use of the lights to aptly color the stage to close out the show.
I hung around in the pit and watched the stage getting set up for alt-J’s set. An elevated platform was set up in short order. Newman, Unger-Hamilton, and Green were shrouded by a transparent metal cage that allowed images to be projected onto it.
The band opened with projections of candlelight on the cage surrounding the group, to hymnal “Bane”, a track off their latest album The Dream.
Throughout the concert, projections shifted from geometric shapes to organic dioramas, showing vibrant blue waves crashing on a shore for “Dissolve Me”.
The cage was raised for the song, “Matilda.” Newman requested the crowd sing along to the somber melody. Halfway through the song, the contraption was lowered back down and all three members were interchangeably projected on it, each modeled like a Greek statue on such a grand scale. The crowd had completely bought into the show by the time alt-J played “Taro”.
The projected effects were abandoned for the upbeat track, “Fitzpleasure.” The entire audience began singing and dancing as the stage flashed green.
Before a two-song encore, alt-J departed from the stage and a Ukrainian flag was projected in solidarity with the besieged nation. The foursome returned to lead the crowd in a “Fuck Putin” chant, wrapping up the show with a celebratory version of “Breezeblocks”.
The alt-J and Portugal. The Man tour continues across North America through April 17. Check tour dates to find a show near you.
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