Panic! At The Disco - Brixton Academy - 22nd October 2006
Support: The Sounds

Currently riding high from a hugely successful album, a sell out 4 night run at Brixton Academy and well known for their flamboyant stage performances I was extremely excited to get a chance to see these young Las Vegas boys perform, and wasn’t let down. Being one of the ‘rock bands of the moment’ you often wonder if there is much there apart from good publicity and word of month and Panic! At the Disco prove there can be, with slick performances, emotion filled covers of Smashing Pumpkins ‘Tonight, Tonight’ and Radiohead’s ‘Karma Police’ and stage set’s that put some film productions to shame. Influences coming from Moulin Rouge, The Smiths and Las Vegas glamour, Panic! At the disco know how to but on a show, re-inventing tracks from the album for the live act and giving fans not just a live version of the album, but something a bit sweeter and original.

The night’s main act opened with the reveal of a large sign, flashing the band’s name and a large wind mill set the brought the flavour of ‘Moulin Rouge’ to the night. The narrator of the evening acting as a faux ring master of events, entered the stage and welcomed us all setting up the shows style for the rest of the evening as well as introducing the band. The music is fantastic and the unusually use of on stage dancers help act out the music’s poetic lyrics and wind the audience up into a dancing frenzy. Each song runs smoothly into the next as if there know exactly what you want to hear next and play it for your delight.

The only real personal let down of the evening was the audience itself. Often when I attend gigs of this nature, fans are very much like a second family. Everyone is having fun, chatting, sharing stories and helping each other out in the crowd, but sadly some people seem to think that they have priority over you and have no shame about showing it. I’ve never been more crushed or stood upon at an event and I’ve been to some even heavier punk gigs where you’d expect to be shoved around. I had to remove myself from the very front row, which I had waited for in the rain, and move back just so I had the right to breathe and move my arm an inch away from my stomach. Thankfully once there I found a comfortable place to stand and see the show with still an excellent view of all the stage and wished I had only moved back sooner to enjoy the entire show in this state.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and this band is truly one to see live as they add a touch of romance and charm to each song that makes them each sparkle a bit more than the CD version and if their live act is anything to go by they are set for much bigger things in years to come. Panic at the disco’s debut album ‘A fever you can’t sweat out’ is out now.


Review by Laura Heath


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