Music

Review: Lower Than Atlantis play a huge headline show in London

Last week homegrown band Lower Than Atlantis rocked their biggest headline show to date at London’s O2 Academy Brixton.

Just last month Lower Than Atlantis released their fifth studio album Safe In Sound which peaked in the UK’s Album Charts Top 10. Their following eight-date tour kicked off earlier in March at Norwich’s UEA. After years of playing festivals and smaller venues the band are now gaining huge momentum.

With outstanding supports from ROAM, Hands Like Houses and Young Guns the crowd is fired up and ready for their headliner. A backdrop of live footage from the show itself gives its very own sprinkle of atmosphere and a sense of the band wanting every last corner of the venue to be part of the gig as much as the front row.

Although the set list contains mostly tracks from their last two albums, omitting some old favourites, the crowd doesn’t seem to mind. It goes to show just how good their songwriting has become with the new record. Front-man Mike Duce notes that he’s not a big talker on stage but does make a point of reinforcing the meaning behind the band’s new album title – that albums he listened to when he was younger made him feel safe, and that’s exactly what he wants his fans to feel with their music.

This energetic show encourages the young crowd, especially when frontman Mike Duce requests a massive circle pit at the end of the show. The band are just as psyched as their fans about this huge step in their career and in an endearing show of affection LTA decide to give out their prop-speakers at the end of the gig, which results in big black boxes being handed through the crowd. One enthusiastic fan even crowd-surfs sitting in one of the boxes.

“It’s weird to think that our band was nearly done some two years ago, and now we’re headlining the biggest venues we ever have!” frontman Mike Duce has said in an interview a little while ago. Everyone at O2 Academy Brixton tonight will agree that we’re all ecstatic they decided to stick around and make some new music together.

With a headline show that will hold a special spot in the fans’ memory, Lower Than Atlantis have proven just why they are one of the UK’s best alternative bands around.

For more from the world of live music, head to our Gigs and Tours Guide.