Walk the Moon at Scala

Packed into every sold-out crease and crevice of London’s renowned Scala club, excited fans chanted the name of the band they had come to see; and see they did!

Bouncing onstage to the electrified sing-a-long sound of Quesadilla, a track recounting long-haired love and summer picnics, Cincinnati natives Walk the Moon instantly set the tone for the night. Sporting Coachella-esque neon face paint and gleaming smiles, it was obvious that this was going to be the night’s catchiest space-walk this side of the ozone layer.

Walk the Moon boasts the increasingly rare quality of actually looking as if they want to be there, sweating it out in the name of pop, and savouring every yelled back lyric and clenched fist. Fronted by the painfully enigmatic Nicholas Petricca (armed with his stand drum), the band’s power-pop tracks have some of the smoothest and consistently strong vocals in indie rock today, meandering from seductive bass notes to the celestial highs the band name evokes.

Independently releasing I Want! I Want! in 2010, the band seemed genuinely thrilled and touched that the audience recognized the album’s deep-cuts, such as silky-synth laden Me and All My Friend – a peppy dance track with heart. The singer encouraged the attentive audience to participate, which resulted in some surprisingly potent and anthemic moments. The band’s most recognizable song, Anna Sun, was received with apt warmth, urging Petricca to play his synth like musical playdough – an entertaining spectacle.

The band played some new songs from their upcoming release, a highlight of which was the tentatively titled Tiger Teeth, propelled by an earworm chorus and dogmatic guitars.

The band members were charmingly exuberant, demonstrating skilled drum solos, touching grabbing hands, and dancing to the beats of their own songs. Nobody gets left out at a Walk the Moon show! This point was amplified during the encore, I Can Lift a Car, the closing track from their 2012 self-titled RCA debut. Prefaced with a heart-felt speech about casting away the banes of modern life, the band turned it up a gear one last time, before bowing out wearing expressions that said they were as impressed and pleased as the audience.

This is a slick and polished band: they look the part, sound the part, and play the part. Walk the moon, and maybe take off your helmet while you’re at it.

Verdict: •••••

Victoria Sanz-Henry

Photos: Dimitris Amvrazis

For further information about Walk the Moon and future events visit here.