Review: Elderbrook live at XOYO, London

Elderbrook’s spent the past couple of years honing what seems his own iteration of the ambient side of electronica, and whilst his signature concoction of haunting vocals among smokey beats may not always veer fully toward clubland, his recent XOYO takeover showed how ready 2017’s dancefloor audiences were to embrace one of the UK’s shining exports.

Opening with his 2014 breakthrough Could seemed an obvious start, however the visual displays became more pulsating as he continued to showcase his eclectic discography throughout the night. Energy built as the evening progressed (strangely aligning with his own audible journeys that seem present in pretty much every one of his songs); from the twisted First Time (which is still ridiculously brilliant even in its ‘radio edit’ guise btw) to a more stripped back rendition of the Gorgon City-assisted Smile, Elderbrook commanded his fanbase like putty in his hands. Visually the evening couldn’t have been more on-point, and the roars from the audience solidified his growing position in the electronic sphere.

Oh, and just when we thought the evening couldn’t get any better, out popped a gorgeous finale of How Many Times – 8 minutes of Launchpad-heavy sonics that no-one wanted to end.

This was a sweatbox rave that couldn’t have been more perfect; next up, let’s see how he handles the festival scene.