In creating last year's 'Both Ways Open Jaws', their second album, The Dø have attained some significant heights. Tonight is another feat of mountaineering from this Finnish-French pair, climbing step by step, track by track.
Olivia Meriliahti and Dan Levi have support this evening, taking the total number on stage to five. They begin with their debut album's opener, 'Playground Hustle', before getting crowd-pleaser 'Gonna Be Sick' out of the way.
The band is a sight on stage – shiny metallic-clad Meriliahti, sometimes wielding a lit-up megaphone, contrasts with Dan Levy and the rest of the band's black attire, this in turn a contrast with Bush Hall's formal deep red curtains. It summarises the band perfectly, with its myriad styles, influences and genres, which sometimes crash together within single tracks.
By the time they launch into 'Slippery Slope', by turns ominous and deranged, they are well and truly underway, even further confirmed by grunge track 'The Bridge Is Broken'. The Dø combine elements from genres just as easily in recordings as they do on stage.
It's at this point in the set, comfortable in their stride, that they present not one but two of the highlights of the evening. 'Too Insistent' is a breath of fresh air, clear and uplifting, with Meriliahti plaintively asking: “Why won't you let me know?” again and again.
'Bohemian Dances' follows, as it does on the album, and it's just as uplifting, if not more so. Changing pace frequently, with quieter passages leading into relatively more manic sections, it all builds to a triumphant finish. It's everything this band is good at, summarised into one glorious track.
And then, as on so many long journeys, they falter. It doesn't last long, but the few tracks that follow, while not quite fillers, just don't live up to what was such a promising start. What was bold and fearless turns cautious and ill-defined for a time.
'On My Shoulders' rescues things, putting them back on the right footing, with enough pace to take them right to the end, and the crowd's response confirms this. They celebrate with some shamelessly big electronic dance beats, another comfortable shift in style. It's during tracks like these, though, that they seem restricted by a venue that is maybe just a bit too civilised for an irreverent and rebellious performance like this - like they would be more at home in a warehouse or dark club.
They are having too good a time to notice, though, headed for the summit confidently, with tracks like playful 'The Calender' performed with a touch more excitement than the recorded version. The encore is a celebration, as the band takes in the view from the top with album opener ‘Dust It Off’, more restrained and pensive than much of the music that has preceded it. It sees Levy on keys providing accompaniment to Meriliahti's voice. And then, just for good measure, it's another dose of bass-heavy chaos to round off the night. It's a cathartic finish to a performance that this band have clearly put everything in to.
Words by Clinton Cawood
