The Blaze, Claude VonStroke, und Arcade Fire

I've never seen a show that required credits at the end. Music was great, nothing too different than their albums but the production really stole the show. I'd say it was more of an experience than a show. Would love to see them again!

Claude VonStroke, aka Barclay Macbride Crenshaw, is a proper dance music legend. Raised in Detroit, his career really took off after he relocated to San Francisco; it is here that he launched his wicked Dirtybird label in the mid noughties (he also runs label Mothership and Krush Groov).
Now I know that VonStroke has made waves in a number of subgenres of electronic music, but my early experiences of him were within minimal techno – he was one of the first artists to introduce me to the intricate subtleties and hidden melodies of minimal techno and deep house. The first time I saw him DJ was at some strange warehouse in London, just as I had moved to the capital and long before I understood that ‘warehouse’ spaces were commonly utilised for central London raves. He was master of his decks, completely showing up everyone else who played before and after (I can’t even remember their names!).
His techno banger ‘Who’s Afraid Of Detroit?’ was one of the biggest club tunes of 2006 and, though it has been remixed to near-death, it remains one of my favourite dance songs. Likewise, his 2009 Fabric mix was one of the best in ages. He really is a master of producing house and techno that comfortably straddles both the underground and the mainstream.

"It's a bunch of geeks playing ****ing art music. It shouldn't have been any ****ing good. But they were ****ing amazing". Such was the reaction of the gentleman behind me after my first Arcade Fire gig, at Manchester Academy in 2005, and I certainly wouldn't disagree.

Back then, the most successful alumni of the mid-Noughties golden age of Canadian music really were stereotypical art-school types, all embroidered blazers and harps and stilted, awkward banter. But my word, put them on a stage and they'd blow your ****ing mind.

"Wake Up", with its peerlessly anthemic chorus delivered with almost religious fervour. The cacophonous, punky "Laika", with Richard Reed Parry using every hittable object on stage as an impromptu drum kit. "Haiti", with its eminently danceable groove belying the darkness of its lyrics. And "In The Backseat", a song that rendered a 1500-strong audience utterly mute, and concluded with the audience spontaneously carrying on its closing refrain for two full minutes after the band had left the stage. It was exhilarating. It was revelatory. It was sublime.

Since then, I've seen them in churches and stadiums and muddy fields and on one memorable occasion, a BBC studio. I've seen their sound change and evolve with each album (the disco influenced "Reflektor" is a whole different beast to the stripped back Americana of "The Suburbs", which in turn is a massive shift from the dense and ostentatious "Neon Bible", not to mention the rough-edged beauty of "Funeral"). I've seen their audiences grow bigger each tour, not to mention their collection of industry awards. But what has remained a constant is their dedication to putting 110% into their live shows.

Last night, I saw Arcade Fire for the 27th time. It was just as joyous and vital as the first.

Great venue and easy to find. Amazing Punk Rock show and great performance by The Bones and all supporting bands! Thank you for coming to Stuttgart and come back soon!!!