Rudimental at Alexandra Palace

It looks like London’s summer festivals are not quite dead yet – they are actually giving an indoor victory lapse at Alexandra Palace, where flower crowns and ripped T-shirts amass to watch Hackney’s multi-instrumentalist collective Rudimental. Their recently released second album, We the Generation, is praised by their local audience and it obediently resumes the dynamics learnt from the debut record: dancing to high-energy drum’n’bass fun with systematic drops, and chanting along to the soul-powered vocal revues.

Two black-and-white circular screens in the stage alternately show a rhythmic camera direction of the event and videos that act as accompanying pieces to the music. The effect achieved by this spectacle, along with the occasional confetti party and a dedicated light show, enhances the experience in a multisensory engagement from sonically amusing to visually striking. Peace-sign graphics support the love-spreading anthem Go Far, and their cover version of Ed Sheeran’s Bloodstream gets literal with imagery of red blood cells. Free, Never Let You Go, and Feel the Love, featuring the guest appearance of John Newman, are among the audience’s favourites.

But the vitality with which festival clingers enjoy the show never gets close to the one emanating from the stage. Amir Amor, Piers Agget, Kesi Dryden and DJ Locksmith deliver soul-infused rap and house sounds while performing non-stop aerobic movements that their fans can hardly fail to try and imitate. And the sound and sight of Anne-Marie Nicholson is dominant to say the least, whose hyperactive and hyper-expressive delivery reveals just how much fun they are all having with their quickened headliner status.

The audience experiences an emotive comedown and farewell in the form of the 2013 hit Waiting All Night. A rightfully claimed unique sound is a solid legacy, but the supernatural ability of turning the seasons around is the merit of a more-than-transitory music act. Rudimental has proven both already, providing Londoners with the two-hour opportunity of dancing their way to resistance against autumn’s rain.

Alejandra Arrieta
Photo: Thomas Hawk

For further information about Rudimental and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Never Let You Go here: