Having previously only seen Crystal Castles perform at festivals, I was looking forward to seeing the group in an intimate venue. The chief conclusion I would make after this particular gig is that Alice Glass is the greatest frontperson of her generation. With Ethan Kath whipping up all manner of irresistible electro grooves and a drummer chipping in with some crunching beats, Glass has the ideal platform to strut her stuff, and it swiftly becomes obvious that the singer is possessed of the kind of thrillingly anarchic punk spirit that made Kurt, Iggy and John Lydon into icons.
As well as being stunningly gorgeous (which always helps) and ridiculously stylish (her black t-shirt, gaffer-taped navy skirt and Converse trainers ensemble making her the epitome of indie-kid cool), the levels of energy and intensity she performs with are staggering. Throughout the show, she bounces up and down, reels around the stage, leaps up on the drum riser and frequently stage dives – a process which involves her crowd-surfing to the middle of the venue before being hauled back by security.
At one point, she stands astride the barriers and surveys the crowd, then produces a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, from which she proceeds to take a swig, before splattering the audience with whiskey and, finally, handing the booze over to a couple of grateful punters. Predictably, Alice’s antics throughout the evening drive the crowd apeshit – the sublime ’Crimewave’ turns the Academy into a bouncy castle, while the group’s other signature tunes produce the kind of mosh-pit carnage we haven’t seen The Prodge were doing ’Their Law’ back in the Jilted Generation/Fat Of The Land days.
Along with Leftfield’s stunning Tripod show, this is the best gig I have seen in 2010 – and yes, I think I’m a little in love with Alice Glass.