Jeremy's Indie Music: Arcade Fire, Empress Ballroom Blackpool, 27th November 2013 10/10

This party must surely be the highlight of my year, and I feel so fortunate to have had an intimate experience with a band now as illustrious as Arcade Fire. Most of those with my near the front of the queue had been following the Montreal band since their Funeral days, and reminisced about club gigs at that time, but in 2013 I was given a chance to experience for the first time what others were reliving. Their attention to detail was remarkable, not just in the musicianship, but in the event organisation. Nobody minded travelling to a far flung location on the North West coast of England, since this historic ballroom was so apt in its faded bohemian grandeur.

This was Arcade Fire's final 'warm up' gig before next year's world arena tour, with a fancy or formal dress code and a Reflekor's billing. There was free face painting outside the venue, and we were handed masks and glow sticks. The magic continued when a Mariachi Band paraded past the audience waiting in the atrium, singing in Spanish, and later in the ballroom mingled with the waiting crowd. Then, we were given a dance lesson for We Exist, and the exited crowd's energy became explosive; the stage still hidden behind a black curtain, and funk and old soul booming through the PA. The event was carnivalesque, somewhere between a Caribbean street party and a masked formal ball. Whilst I have fond memories of their 2011 Coachella The Suburbs performance, this felt far more intimate and animated. Ticker tape substituted for the memorable illuminated beach balls back then in the desert.

Finally, fake musicians in papier-mâché masks came on stage and started to play, only to be displaced by the real Arcade Fire. They were a ten piece band, four session players including two percussionists who joined the regular drummer Jeremy Gara. Immediately, the hard hitting rock of Normal Person was absolutely explosive, manifested not just in the shatteringly tight sound but in the movement and dancing on and off stage. Their physical presence makes nearly all other acts seem static by comparison, and the audience interaction was rich. Win Butler frequently came out from behind his microphone stand in front of, and into, the audience. One crowd surfer was even invited onto stage by Win, and danced with him. His wife Regine Chassagne was a joy to watch, even if her vocals only really came into the foreground in Sprawl II from The Suburbs; I wish she had a more prominent role in Reflektors. For me, the set reached an apotheosis in Here Comes The Night Time with its suppressed tension, which reinforced the feeling that we were in fantasy world, far removed from the concerns of normal life.

In an example of the spontaneity, the first encore My Body is a Cage (which closes Neon Bible) was performed on a side stage in the middle of the ballroom. Meanwhile, Win donned papier-mâché and later reflective masks, which he playfully took off to reveal his true self. The lighting was extravagant, and like everything else beautifully choreographed. Arcade Fire has been criticised for exploitively appropriating a culture in Reflektor which is not their own. However, this view lacks credibility as Win paid tribute to Haiti when introducing the song of that name, which closed the evening. The ticket included a charitable donation, and the use of exotic culture elements felt fantastical, and far from commercialised. The party atmosphere grew in vibrance and intensity through the 15 song set, but by Joan of Arc it was already frenzied. Win didn't tell anecdotes between songs, but he did very plausibly say that we were the most participative audience of the tour.

A more substantive criticism has been about the music of Reflektors: whilst album sales suggest that the public has not lacked enthusiasm, reviews have been mixed. Some accuse it as lacking originality, with influences from Bowie, Talking Heads, U2, and most prominently LCD Soundsystem with James Murphy's involvement. I've found it's taken many listens to fully appreciate; and I still find that The Suburbs has more light and shade. However, it was clearly written to be performed live, where it feels fiercely energetic. For all the talk of Reflektor's disco feel, last night Arcade Fire was above all a rock band, with the ability not so much to command the audience, as create a space in which they can be themselves. The themes show the humanity at their heart: We Exist was inspired by a gay teenager trying to talk to his father, and as well as outsider status. It's about make believe, mirrors and flashbulbs, and the tenuous concept of reality. Sometimes it's important to let go, and the escapist fantasy land which this amazingly creative group constructed was a place of joy, vibrance and tolerance.