Animal Collective - The Park Stage (Glastonbury 2009) - LIVE REVIEW

Animal Collective were a band i knew would highlight Glastonbury, and they fulfilled the expectation of every corner of their ecletic turnout with their futuristic mix of 60s harmonies, loop heavy electronica and freak folk.

For three albums their experimental rhythms and their complex, inaccessible ear for a melody has consistently intrigued a small, sophisticated and devoted fanbase, but Merriweather Post Pavilion has taken a definitive step towards wider acceptance. The turnout for the park stage was large and diverse; the foot tappers and idle head nodders were won over and the long term fanbase were sucked in by the whole experience. Any internet based dissatisfaction for an Animal Collective 'betrayal' in the form of their latest release was not at all felt here.

'Peacebone' and 'My Girls': new and old, were best received, even if there was to some extent the feeling that the latter was thrown away early on in the hour long set. The whole show was draped in a green/blue/purple light emanating from the back of the stage, and the physical layout, two mixing desks with guitarist in the centre, left the futuristic 'sci-fi' look of the stage perfectly matching its sounds.

The two tall mixing desks on either side were draped in Merriweather's colourful artwork, and as usual Geologist sported his Orbital style torch on the head. The show as a whole was more like a trippy DJ set that a stage show; songs melted counter-rhythmically into one another using changing tempos and beatmatching synths. The whole sound of this noise pop, neo-psychedelic stage show was intense, grand and played incredibly loud. Loops, synths and tribal vocal lines, climaxing at final song 'Brother Sport' left Glastonbury 2009's crowd in total awe.

Animal Collective - My Girls
Animal Collective - Brother Sport

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images + mp3s coming soon, for the reasons described in the last post!