It was a warm Sunday evening on June 25th. A mixed audience, sweating and sunbathing, found themselves at Huxleys Neue Welt in Neukölln, as the French electro and dream pop band M83 graced the capital. With many new songs, but also old and well-known hits. And just as the songs of the group around the creative head Anthony Gonzalez invite you to dream and dance discreetly, the concert also became a dreamy, dancing event. Albeit with a lot of volume, of course.
Light show on sunny evening
The interior of the former Huxleys Neue Welt beer palace on Hasenheide seemed a bit surreal. While the sun was still shining brightly outside and the hall was heating up, the concert hall itself was completely dark. For some in the audience, walking through the sunlit hallway to the restroom probably came as a semi-shock. But the blackout was also badly needed, as Monsieur Gonzalez loves his sumptuous lighting staging that accompanies his sometimes opulent, sometimes sensual music. Even before the actual show started, the stage was peppered with large LED lamps and a large screen in the background, which were intended to give a foretaste of what was to come. Speaking of a foretaste: the introduction to the concert came from the singer Polar Noir. As a support act, the native of Munich made sure that one or the other rocked along.
It doesn’t work without a wall of sound
After only a short changeover break, half an hour later, M83 were also on stage. Right at the beginning the band and Gonzalez performed two songs from the new album “Fantasy” with “Water Deep” and “Oceans Niagara”. It was immediately noticeable that the new pieces were also well received. In large part this was also due to the impressive sound in the medium-sized, but sold out Huxleys. Even if M83’s music has gotten a little more pop over the years, Gonzalez can’t hide his shoegaze origins with his oppressive wall of sound. Quite a few in the audience who didn’t think of earplugs had to cover their ears during the longer instrumental parts, the feedback from the electric guitars and synthesizers was so loud. In addition, the LED light shone constantly through the entire venue, while the 3D animations on the screen accompanied the music with a certain retro charm.
A mix of old and new
Anthony Gonzalez himself, on the other hand, stayed in the background in contrast to his strong sound. Standing somewhat shyly with his guitar in front of the microphone, the singer and composer rarely addressed the audience. He preferred to leave the speaking to his music. It seemed to be particularly important to him to try out the songs from “Fantasy” live – and with success. Even if not all concert-goers were familiar with the lyrics of the recently released M83 pieces, this did not spoil the good mood. Gonzalez and band always managed to captivate the audience with their perfect interaction. Of course, the French also played some classics. Anthems like “Wait” motivated the audience to take collective cell phone recordings, while the mega-hit “Midnight City” as the first encore got the hall dancing. But tracks from the early days, such as “Don’t Save Us From The Flames” or “We Own The Sky”, still knew how to inspire.
A sweaty but happy ending
After three energetic encores, for which M83 took some time, a spectacular audiovisual concert evening ended after an hour and a half. The sweaty band members could clearly see the temperatures in the hall, but everyone, especially Gonzalez, seemed to have been satisfied with their performance. The spectators seemed no less sweaty but at the same time satisfied when leaving the Huxley. In the few words Gonzalez addressed to the audience, he talked about having fun together and thanked him for the love he and his colleagues showed on stage. It is precisely with this attitude that every concert-goer ends the evening. A great reminder of a show full of light, love and volume.