Ready to start my love affair with Arcade Fire

Now, I'm just going to say it; considering that their first album Funeral came out in 2005, I'm just starting to get 

the whole Arcade Fire thing... I know I know, hardcore fans will be disowning me for even thinking such things never mind writing them down for the world to see! But really, I just never really got it before. I've listened to their music, and don't get me wrong, if one came on during a good old i-pod shuffle, I wouldn't skip on by, but I most definitely wouldn't have sat down and listened to their album.

So when my bruv offered me a ticket to their gig in December, honestly... I only went cause it was free and it was a Sunday and I wasn't doing anything anyway. I was actually shocked to hear that the gig was in the SECC, and it was sold out!!! Considering it holds 4656 people standing and seated I was somewhere between impressed and bemused. So Sunday 12th December, Arcade Fire...

I've never been so impressed with a live band before in my life. Maybe it was because my expectations were non existent, but I'm going to go with that it's because Arcade Fire but their heart and souls into their concerts that I had no option but to succumb to their energy. The stage was full, like ridiculously full of talented musicians who all switched instruments for each song; and they could play each instrument they picked up effortlessly and spectacularly! One guy continued to skip about the stage with a drum in hand during one song; suitably distracting and mesmerising, to the extent I couldn't even tell you what song it was during that he did this!

I have to admit, for all that they had a super strong start, there was a couple of songs in the middle where the energy seemed to... lull a wee bit. I've heard mixed reviews from their most recent album The Suburbs, released last year, and considering that it was songs from that album that were being performed during that lull... I don't know. Maybe it was just a poor set list choice as they were all slower, less energetic songs.

But out with this run of maybe 3 or 4 songs, the crowd were loving Arcade Fire. It was one of those gigs where although it was December in Glasgow in an indoor arena, it felt like you were dancing about in a field in the sun at a festival. Everywhere you looked it was just people dancing with their hands in the air and singing their hearts out.

So as a result of this one off, spontaneous gig that I happened to toddle along to, my love affair began. I went straight home and listened to The Suburbs over and over and over again. Three days later I purchased their second album, Neon Bible, then a week later, Funeral made a reappearance to my i-pod from being left redundant in my i-tunes library for over a year.

For all that I don't think their albums could ever really make you experience their music and their energy that their live shows do, it's a lovely way to remember what it was like, how their excitement and energy in their music seemed to ooze out of the speakers and into you, whether you want it to or not. Maybe that's why I wasn't so keen before... maybe their albums should come with a warning; "You won't love me until you've seen the band live."

Here's a wee video of Arcade Fire performing at SECC Glasgow. I'm suitably Ready to Start
Arcade Fire, Ready to start (LIVE)