Live Report: Phoenix deliver euphoria-filled set to the Iveagh Gardens

I’ve never fancied myself as much of a nationalist. In fact, the idea of state-pride has always seemed foreign to me – but seeing the French indie band Phoenix yesterday, filling up Iveagh Gardens with such an enthusiastic crowd, I couldn't help but be overtaken by a certain satisfaction.

It’s rare for French artists to breach containment, even the English-speaking ones. With their wonderfully joyous brand of late 2000s indie, though, Phoenix were always meant to be a success story.

Classical music starts playing before the band even walks on stage – a reference, one can assume, to their iconic 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. With the unapologetic campiness of this entrance music, one thing is for sure: we’re in for a boisterous gig.

Phoenix at The Iveagh Gardens. Copyright Colm Kelly.

Watching the band play can only be compared to bursting into laughter, the feeling wonderfully illustrated from the first song ‘Lisztomania’, its head-bopping guitar riffs and Thomas Mars’ jubilant vocal performance.

Opening with your most popular song isn’t common practice – but when an audience picks up the chorus by itself like an amateur choir only two minutes into the gig, the move becomes more understandable.

With the crowd properly warmed up, Mars cheekily greets: “Bonsoir Dublin,” frontman and band as charming as their next song, ‘Entertainment’, an absolute synthy bop that transforms Iveagh Gardens into an outdoor dance party, the energy never dropping again for the rest of the evening.

Phoenix at The Iveagh Gardens. Copyright Colm Kelly.

Phoenix’s undeniable cheerfulness is all-encompassing, ever-present even in their moodier tracks like ‘After Midnight’ or ‘Armistice’ – as if they couldn’t help but let joy pour out of them, unwaveringly hopeful even through dark times.

The mood is also supported by the evident sense of camaraderie between the musicians. Over 20 years after the release of their debut album United, the band’s line-up remains unchanged – and seeing how much they enjoy themselves together, you can understand why: it’s clear that Phoenix are playing because it’s fun, plain and simple.

Their dancey, sugary-sweet indie pop sound, best displayed by their most famous tunes ‘1901’ or ‘If I Ever Feel Better’ is what brought them where they are today – yet, the quality of their sound isn’t diminished when they decide to go off-track.

In fact, their disco inspired, synth-filled tracks might be what makes the band so special. With songs such as 'Don't', the band sends you on the set of a 80s futuristic film – or, to be precise, an early-2000s reimagined version of it.

Phoenix at The Iveagh Gardens. Copyright Colm Kelly.

‘Love Like A Sunset, Pt. 2’ is also a great example of this genre of Phoenix songs. “We usually try to play this at sunset,” Mars explains before picking up the bass-heavy intro, “but we missed it because of the time difference.”

Halfway through the show, the band walks off the stage, only leaving bassist Deck D’Arcy and keyboardist Laurent Brancowitz for a few minutes, distorted synths taking over. Slowly, the rest of the musicians pour back in – drummer Thomas Hedlund first, and then guitarist Christian Mazzalai. ‘Love Like A Sunset, Pt. 1’ builds up in intensity before bursting in a disco-filled, euphoria-inducing explosion of sound, showing, once again, Phoenix’s infinitely wide range.

Phoenix at The Iveagh Gardens. Copyright Colm Kelly.

From then on, the show is laced with a depth that doesn’t diminish the bright quality of the band – on the contrary, the fact that they’re having so much fun becomes that much more apparent and contagious.

In fact, before closing the set, Mars treats himself to a healthy dose of crowd-surfing, quickly finding himself in the middle of Iveagh Gardens, pints getting handed out to him like a token of acceptance.

Perhaps this final interaction is the perfect representation of Phoenix: this is a band that loves music, and above all, loves their audience – and their audience loves them right back.