TV on the Radio @ ABC, 16 Nov

4/5 stars
This is vital, important, electrifying
Event review by Nick Mitchell.
Published 19 November 2008

It’s a testament to the full-blooded intensity of their music that a line of fans snakes along the street outside the ABC to watch TV on the Radio, an under-publicised, experimental rock band from the other side of the Atlantic. Mention their name and you'll probably receive a blank look from Joe Public, but the paid-up aficionados here tonight react to every rasping word from Tunde Adebimpe's mouth, every reverberated thrash from Dave Sitek’s guitar and every frenetic rhythm. It doesn’t matter that they open with a pair of their early, lesser known tracks: this is vital, important, electrifying; and when the truly feral Wolf Like Me rears its head four songs in it’s a moment to be savoured. New songs from Dear Science dominate the set, and while Red Dress and Dancing Choose find the pogo-ing Adebimpe at his strained best, the epic Halfway Home is a glaring omission. Still, this is a minor complaint from a major gig. [Nick Mitchell]

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