Pendulum at Brixton Academy
Australian electro-rockers Pendulum soundtracked the millennial clubbing experience for many in the 2000s, using their unique blend of drum and bass and hard rock dance music. Hailing from the country’s music capital of Perth, the group is gearing up for their second night at Brixton Academy this week while touring their fourth studio album, Inertia. The record mixes high-energy drum ‘n’ bass with screamo rock, a sound the band has leaned towards more and more as they’ve evolved.
Tonight’s gig is not sold out, and while it feels a bit thin on the ground before the group takes to the stage, the venue continues to pack out as the set warms up. The band launches into tracks from their new release straight away, with the high-octane Napalm, followed by the screaming vocals of Save the Cat, as singer Rob Swire dutifully tells the crowd: “Let’s get f**cked up!”
2008’s breakout hit Propane Nightmares is met with jubilant familiarity from the audience, who proceed to enthusiastically sing along to the curious lyrics: “Mind is willing, soul remains / This woman cannot be saved / From the trail into the fire.”
By far, Pendulum’s most popular track over the years has to be their early remix of The Prodigy’s Voodoo People, which The Prodigy even included on their singles collection release. The group doesn’t play the track in full, and instead mixes it in with Hold Your Colour’s equally explosive Blood Sugar. It’s understandable, maybe, that they would prefer to do this, with the track only being a remix, but it still feels slightly disappointing.
Many fans from the 2000s might think of them as more of a DJ/dance act, but Pendulum present themselves as a fully-fledged rock band on stage, and judging by their latest releases, this is the identity they now prefer to convey. Cannibal, a hooky collaboration with London duo Wargasm, showcases the group in this light most effectively, with its stomping, bass-heavy riff mixed with Swires’s impeccable vocals.
The inevitable encore kicks off with Cartegena, another Intertia track with a softer edge to it, before Pendulum cracks out the dancefloor favourite – Tarantula – injecting pure adrenaline into an already fired-up Friday night crowd.
Despite tonight’s gig not being the busiest, the exuberant atmosphere, paired with the band’s powerful stage presence, filled out the gaps. Pendulum clearly has more tricks up their sleeves rather than just floorfillers, and this evening’s set went some way to positioning them as more of a rock group, rather than a dance act.
Hannah Broughton
Photos: Jaden Moss
For further information and future events, visit Pendulum’s website here.
Watch the video for Cannibal here:
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