Gig review: Arcade Fire

POP

Arcade Fire

Castle Esplanade, Edinburgh

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Arcade Fire have given the anthem a new lease of life, replacing the old-school rock behemoth with a quicksilver energy. Their songs are epics with deliberate singalong potential but they wear their stadium-worthy status lightly.

Although this Montreal eight-piece have received rapturous acclaim for their three albums, they come across as a down-to-earth bunch who function as a tight unit. Egos would only get in the way of the group dynamic – and the dynamic seems to be to have a good time all of the time. Their set derived at least some of its impact from the sheer exuberance with which it was delivered.

They limbered up with the bouncy optimism of Ready to Start, a natural curtain-raiser which by some bands’ standards would be the air-punching climax. By the end of the track, everyone in the stands was on their feet – admittedly at frontman Win Butler’s suggestion it would be easier to stay warm that way. But their exhortation to Keep the Car Running packed enough fuel to sustain those energy levels.

The frontline was also in formidable form on No Cars Go but when they dropped the pace the results were variable. Wake Up resonated like a Celtic war cry from the battlements, before loosening into a party groove. Elsewhere, Regine Chassagne shone in her featured vocal spots, there was a burst of Pixies-like punk frenzy, then the rumpus of Rebellion Lies and closing gun salute. The only thing missing was the piper.

FIONA SHEPHERD