Concert Review: Worthy of the Colosseum, Alt-J are let down by the Forum

★★★★★☆

Matt Marsh

Forum was not the best choice of venue for Alt-J. Their atmospheric tones and waves of psychedelia are best experienced in a tightly-packed space with a lower ceiling, so no sound can escape. Unfortunately, Forum was not sold out for their concert and I couldn’t help but think that the experience would have been all the more absorbing in a smaller space.

A band for all ages
Having said that, the English trio did not disappoint their Copenhagen cohort, delivering favourites from all three of their albums with impressive precision. Lead vocalist Joe Newman’s mesmerising high-pitched voice was in perfect working order as the 3,000+ audience sang their hearts out with him.

The British Mercury Prize-winning band entertained an audience with a surprising age range considering that their music is aimed very much at teens and young adults. Their mix of instrumental harmonies, slightly baffling lyrics and everyday audio samples make their sound completely unique. One might say you have to have a particular taste to like Alt-J, but at the same time their sound is inoffensive and musically sophisticated, which is why they are beginning to appeal to older audiences as they become more well-known.

Flashes of brass
Some examples of the sounds they sampled and that were heard bouncing off Forum’s ceiling included field recordings from Cambridgeshire’s Ely Cathedral, including its organ and burning sounds from its heaters. The band’s self-named ‘interweaving vocals’ and ‘flashes of brass’ are what fans have come to expect from them, and the Copenhagen crowd were thoroughly impressed.

I found myself disappointed by the choice of venue. Not to take anything away from the band or their performance, but on other occasions when I have watched Alt-J in smaller venues, the atmosphere was truly all-consuming. Their performance in Copenhagen was almost flawless. They did everything they could and the audience were still bubbling with giddy excitement and straining their hoarse voices as they shuffled out of the venue into the Danish rain singing “Breezeblocks”.

 

 

TOP STORIES

  • Danish Intelligence Service: Threat from Russia has intensified

    Danish Intelligence Service: Threat from Russia has intensified

    In the internal Danish waters, Russia will be able to attack underwater infrastructure from all types of vessels. The target could be cables with data, electricity and gas, assesses the Danish Defense Intelligence Service

  • Denmark to explore screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic sentiments

    Denmark to explore screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic sentiments

    A few weeks after Alex Vanopslagh’s comments about “right values,” the government announced that an expert committee would be established to examine the feasibility of screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic attitudes.

  • The Future Copenhagen

    The Future Copenhagen

    The municipality plan encompasses building 40,000 houses by 2036 in order to help drive real estate prices down. But this is not the only huge project that will change the shape of the city: Lynetteholmen, M5 metro line, the Eastern Ring Road, and Jernbanebyen will transform Copenhagen into something different from what we know today

  • It’s not you: winter depression is affecting many people

    It’s not you: winter depression is affecting many people

    Many people in Denmark are facing hard times marked by sadness, anxiety, and apathy. It’s called winter depression, and it’s a widespread phenomenon during the cold months in Nordic countries.

  • Crime rates are rising, but people are safer

    Crime rates are rising, but people are safer

    Crime in Denmark is increasing for the second consecutive year, but it is more focused on property, while people appear to be safer than before. Over the past year, there were fewer incidents of violence

  • Novo Nordisk invests 8.5 billion DKK in new Odense facility

    Novo Nordisk invests 8.5 billion DKK in new Odense facility

    Despite Novo’s announcement that its growth abroad will be larger than in Denmark, the company announced this morning an 8.5 billion DKK investment for a new facility in Odense. This is the first time the company has established a new production site in Denmark this century.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs