Mew

Triumphant, powerful, tight and full of joy. The last time they played in Paris was in 2009, at La Maroquinerie, a similarly small venue but without Johan who hadn't yet rejoined the band. Back then they had their traditional video backdrops with the cat playing the violin and children singing on "Sometimes Life isn't Easy", almost comically cramped; this time it was a more "normal" rock light show, and not even a special one like the video for "Satellites" hinted at – probably because the Flèche d'Or has such a small stage. Before the gig I spotted the members coming and going or staring out at the abandoned train tracks behind the artists' zone terrace – the Flèche d'Or is a repurposed railway station, lightyears away from the big venues they played only a few nights ago. Mew just aren't huge in France, for what reason I can't say. I'm so glad they made the effort to come, and wish they had a bigger following over here. The place wasn't even sold out. It seemed like most people weren't French but Scandinavian, Scottish, British, Australian. Only the support band was French, and very French at that. There was still light coming in from the big windows as Mew started. From the beginning the sound was huge, much more powerful than what I remembered from 2009. The bass and drums were much tighter and almost front-stage, Johan and Silas forming a tight unit, with Bo taking care of the deconstructive qualities of the music. The new songs felt the same as on the album: at once immediately accessible and inherently weird. Which is, I guess, Mew's essence when they're at their best. The set was about 1:20 long, ending with a single encore of one of their oldest songs I hadn't heard in years – "Coffee Break" – and I absolutely loved it. I was expecting "Comforting Sounds" at the end, but they just left, smiling and drenched in sweat. Overall a fantastic concert with the best from the last album and highlights from the previous one ("Beach", "Introducing Palace Players", "Silas the Magic Car" introduced by Bo as the drummer's favorite, and one of his too) along with some less famous songs: an epic "Saviors of Jazz Ballet", a deeply moving "Eight Flew Over, One Was Destroyed". I wasn't expecting to hear "The Zookeepers Boy" in its entirety since Jonas included a snippet from it in his acoustic medley, but they did it, all the strength and virtuosity from the Kites era more than intact. It seemed to me that Jonas' voice has never sounded better. He hits high and low octaves effortlessly, looking relaxed and serene, more so than last time. Silas' drumming is so efficient, at once violent and tense and alive with genuine musicality. Johan is perfectly at ease both playing and singing, still the band's rockstar element but less Peter Hook and more hip with a more deliberate beard, tattoos and glasses. Bo, as always, is too hard to describe as a character, other than he comes across as someone whose presence and Scandinavian humor you can only enjoy. To conclude: a wonderful concert that exceeded all my expectations. The only bittersweet element is that they deserve much more success in this country and might not be back for another six years. Hopefully this will turn around with the new album and the future prospects of the band: judging from this concert, their focus is at its top level.

Danish indie-rock powerhouses Mew have never quite achieved the level of international recognition they so rightly deserve. Self-described as the “world's only stadium indie band”, they brandish a plethora of hands-down bangers, from the reverence of “156” to the out-and-out majesty of tracks like “Snow Brigade”, which are catnip to the 'frengers' (a portmanteau of 'friend' and 'strangers', that means 'not quite friends but not quite strangers') that fans have dubbed themselves, totally preceding fandoms like Directioners and Beliebers.
Cutting their teeth on live circuits across Scandinavia and Europe, the four-piece embellish shows with eclectic visual displays as well as magnificent sonic ones. Jagged lights and rainbow-dappled audiences are common, with the band toying with the juxtaposition of light and dark, much the same way as they do with their music. Fusing themes of love, loss, friendship, humanity and everyday life into their compositions, they traverse deep, emotional themes assisted by pop hooks and a clinical charm. The band are celebrated for their ambitious streak, and they've converted their highfalutin prog. indie experiments to reality with aplomb; Jonas Bjerre's falsetto nary wavers, and the angular riff-rock bombast is as incisive as ever. With rumours of a new album and a new tour on the way, the opportunities to glimpse Mew in action should soon be upon us.

Danish indie is not something that has been particularly endorsed globally yet Mew play with such compassion and skill that you wonder why ever not. Having released their first album almost two decades ago, the Danish collective has a great amount of skill when playing live.

None of the band are natural showmen, however their music does not require any sense of bravado as it confidently speaks for itself. The mood is set as somber red lighting illuminates the stage and the band steps out through the fog and begin with the spanning 'Making Friends'. Their vocals are pitch perfect in the intimate venue and they successfully achieve a sense of anticipation whilst watching their show.

They have hand selected what they consider to be their best music and each showcase their musical abilities. The progressive rock stylings of 'Special' has a huge extended instrumental and the crowd watch on in quiet amazement. The Brits are left wondering perhaps they have missed a trick for not paying more attention to Denmark's indie scene.

I watched Mew live for the first time last 2 nights in Singapore, I must say that they are very talented, Jonas has a super angelic voice that gives me the creeps. What I could not forget is when they went to the backstage as if saying good bye after a few songs, but then they came back with some more songs after the audience had been calling them. The show was scheduled to be started at 7.30 until 10.00 but they just started at some minutes to eight, and they already ended the concert at 9.30. I got a lil bit disappointed with the false schedule. The event organizer seems unorganized and not very ready. However, Mew performance was magic!! I would definitely see them again in the future.

The show was fantastic, they really printed their energy into their songs, whether it was new tunes from their latest record or oldies from Frengers. A set that encompassed their career quite well, some nice segues from one song to another just like on the record, and just enough interaction with the audience to make you remember that they're also people, only very talented. I would happily see them again!

I firmly believe Mew's songs are meant to be experienced live to do them full justice - the recorded songs are of course spectacular, but the energy poured into their live performances is on a whole other level.

As always, "Comforting Sounds" offered the most surreal out-of-body experience when played as a finale to the encore. I'm still getting goosebumps from that performance from 2 nights ago!

These Danes never disappoint. They delivered songs from all albums with great energy. It's a band you just have to see live to get the ultimate experience. The only thing that disappointed me was the absence of a screen behind the band. At previous Mew concerts there have been a screen with quirky animated characters - something that has contributed to a more cohesive concert experience.

Fantastic concert! Its amazing how the members of Mew still are able to show new angles of their most performed tracks. Together with CPHPHIL, they delivery an amazing evening in the nice veanue of radiohuset. When i think about the performance, i still get goosebombs. The only drawback of the concert was that it could have been longer. 5/5

http://behindadore.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-mew-review.html

please see my blog for this review. written 2 hours after the gig. ( one of 3 blogs)

please see my blog for this review. written 2 hours after the gig. ( one of 3 blogs)

please see my blog for this review. written 2 hours after the gig. ( one of 3 blogs)

Good concert in a great venue.

Fortunately Mew played a well-balanced set list with a few new tracks but including most of the previous songs known by the audience.

The sound quality was quite good and consistent over the concert.

Supporting band "All We Are" were a nice appetiser as well.

Worth to see live!