A so-so proposition on record, in a live setting MGMTs mix of rock, funk, psychedelia and electro turned out to be rather beguiling.
Although officially comprised of just two members, the group’s live set-up is expanded to a quintet, with keyboards and a second guitarist providing additional sonic firepower. There are certainly moments when MGMT do sound phenomenal, no more so than when they embark on one of their intermittent space-rock jams.
These epic tracks are surprisingly adventurous and reveal previously hidden depths to MGMT’s music. Indeed, with their shoulder-length hair, beards and headbands, they more closely resemble a ’70s stoner-rock outfit than a standard-issue indie-rock band. It’s after another epic guitar freak-out that the group kick into the glorious psych-rock track ‘Electric Feel’, a magical tune which is one of the stand-out numbers of the evening.
Although at times MGMT stray a little too close to rock orthodoxy, when they get the formula right they’re unstoppable. A case in point is the rapturously received ‘Time To Pretend’, a mesmerising song with a clever lyric about the classic rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of hedonistic abandon.
For the encore, singer Andrew Van Wyngarden dons a feather boa and sunglasses as the band kick into a thumping dance track, which gets the whole venue jumping and concludes with a stage invasion. It’s a suitably uproarious finale to a wonderful show.