Mystery Jets gig!

Last night I went to see Mystery Jets at O2 Academy Brixton with Lisa and two friends. It was the fourth time I've seen them live - the first time they were supporting the Kooks at Brixton (wearing unforgettable sequinned jackets), the second at the iTunes festival and thirdly at the Hippodrome in Kingston which was a brilliantly small and energetic gig. Every show of theirs feels like a big party. They're not too active on stage, but I think the crowd they attract know and love their hits (Two Doors Down, Half in Love with Elizabeth, Flakes, Seratonin) and just want to have a dance and sing along!



Embarassingly, given that they're one of my favourite bands I only realised their new album had been released when searching on Spotify earlier this week! I've had it on repeat ever since.

Radlands, the new album, was written by the band in Texas which is evident in the songs they've produced. The album sounds like the Mystery Jets we know and love, but with an American 'twang'. I'm pleased they incorporated new influences, as I think if they'd released another album similar to their previous three, it would have been too 'samey'. This album feels slightly more chilled-out than Serotonin and Twenty One, but the songs are versatile enough to be 'partied up' live, as they tend to do. I love the way the two singers' voices are so different - Blaine's is quite delicate and ethereal and Will's is grainy, strong with quite a retro sound. They gave a knack of choosing the right lead to suit each song.

Favourite songs off of Radlands have to be 'Lost in Austin', 'Where the Roses Grow' and 'The Nothing'. Lost in Austin was dedicated last night to the band'sex- bass player, Kai Fish who recently left the band to raise his baby daughter and pursue other projects. It has a killer intense chorus, which I love. Roses wasn't played last night, but it features a female singer alongside Will on lead vocals, and she has the most beautiful old-school voice - really classy. There are a few 'skip tracks' - Luminescence doesn't really do it for me - but the good songs are so more-ish, I can forgive the couple of duds.

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