Live Review + Gallery | Soulwax @ Brixton O2 Academy, London

Soulwax + Supports

o2 Academy Brixton, London

Thursday 15th January

Stef Martin

I’m a London-based music, portrait and lifestyle photographer, and completely obsessed with colour. Music and visuals go hand in hand for me, so I love creating worlds and characters through my images that help to tell the story of an artist or band.

Belgian duo Soulwax transport us to a shimmering world of genre-bending retro-futurism at O2 Academy Brixton

You wouldn’t think it was a dreary January evening from the energy inside Brixton Academy, long before Soulwax even take to the stage. The crowd is already buzzing, thanks to Sworn Virgins—a sleazy, greased-up EBM outfit who I can only describe as the Viagra Boys of the electronic world (complimentary)—and Yu Su, the London-based DJ who opens the night with a drone-heavy warm-up set, casually sipping a glass of orange wine behind the decks (chic).

Soulwax’s retrofuturistic stage set up sits in stark contrast with the ornate interior of Brixton Academy. Four huge synth controllers, complete with almost comically large dials and knobs, and three scaffolded platforms for their three (yes, three) drummers sit amongst additional light panels. It’s certainly imposing, and the crowd is ready for takeoff.

Somewhere between the siren-like synths, cosmic grooves, and perfectly-timed triple drummer set up, I think to myself: am I watching a band, or am I watching a machine? With brothers David and Stephen Dewaele at the helm, we are transported away from a rainy night in London to a shimmering world where indie, electronica and dance-punk collide.

You’d expect any artist headlining a venue of this size to be slick, but this set was slick with a capital S. Not only in the instrumentation and tightness as a band which was astounding, but in the way they held themselves. The suit, the quiet confidence, the clutching of a retro microphone. You can tell they’ve been at this for a while, with their encyclopedic knowledge of music shining through the set.

Soulwax have been redefining what a band can be for years. What started as a guitar-based alternative rock band in 1995 has evolved into an almost genre-less collective, whose signature ‘Soulwax sound’ seeps into their iconic remixes, radio shows, and production. Last night’s show perfectly encapsulated that evolution—it felt both nostalgic and futuristic, with moments reminiscent of 90s acid house, early 2000s indie, and something entirely modern.