LIVE REVIEW
LEFTFIELD Brixton Academy 13/5

In 1993, after plugging away for a couple of years as DJ's and producers, London based duo Neil Barnes and Paul Daley - otherwise known as Leftfield - released a quite startling collaborative single with ex-Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited frontman John Lydon. The song was called Open Up and anyone who heard it blaring through the speakers at their local dance or rock club was not only blown away by its gargantuan power, but also most likely found themselves asking the same question: "Who the hell is this???"
Leftfield answered that question a year or so later with the release of their debut album, Leftism. It was then, and still is now, an exceptionally groundbreaking record - fusing old school acid house beats with dub, reggae and skyscraping electronica, all topped off with a sprinkling of African tribal rhythms. There was absolutely nothing else released in 1995 that sounded anything like it - and to be honest, not much since has really come close. The album was a massive success, garnering acclaim across the board and hoovering up awards like nose candy. The peak of the duo's success was undoubtedly the night they performed here at Brixton and were so loud they actually caused the ceiling of this venerable old venue to crack under the pressure. There simply was no bigger dance act at the time - Barnes and Daley had changed the whole scene and were embraced by the rock firmament as well, performing at Glastonbury and other festivals across the globe. Following it up though was a tough ask, and although 1999's Rhythm And Stealth has it's stellar moments - Phat Planet for one - the relationship between Barnes and Daley fizzled out and Daley left the band in 2002. Barnes carried on producing and remixing before finally returning to the fray in 2015 with the excellent Alternative Light Source album. Whilst touring that record, it became obvious to Barnes that there was a brand new audience out there who were discovering Leftism for the first time which is why, 22 years on, Barnes has re-released Leftism as a double-disc special edition featuring 11 brand new remixes of the original 11 tracks. Not only that, he has returned to Brixton with his current band to perform the entire album in full. Does it still stand up?
Well, the fact that inside the venue it's absolutely heaving is a very good sign. I've been to sell-out nights here before but it feels like they've let in at least an extra 100 people on this occasion - and by the looks of it, everyone seems to have their 'rave heads' on as it were. There's chaps walking round who are balding of pate wearing t-shirts that are straining to hold back the tide of that middle-aged spread, but their faces look 20 years younger - wide-eyed with anticipation and glowing with the effects of certain, ahem, refreshments. Indeed, I'm asked at least 4 times in my first half an hour inside if I need anything to "keep me going". It really is 1995 all over again....
When Barnes and his crew - programmer Adam Wren and live drum maestro Nick Rice - amble onstage just after 9, the reaction from the crowd is deafening. Welcomed back like conquering heroes, they take their positions and launch straight into Leftism's opening track, 'Release The Pressure'. A glorious anthem of peace, unity and belonging, it sets the night up perfectly. With vocals from MC Earl Sixteen, the song glides and drifts majestically before kicking in with a massive jolt of pulsating techno. Verily, the dancing had begun. What follows is an extraordinary hour or so of  eclectic house and techno flavours, the aforementioned dub and reggae and - on the wildly exciting Afro-Left - possibly the greatest all-out tribal African rave shindig ever witnessed. There's a spectacular light and laser show to accompany the sounds - always handy as dance bands aren't particularly interesting to watch on stage. But it's the music that matters, and tunes such as Space Shanty and the frankly spectacular Storm 3000 haven't aged a day and cause the majority of tonight's audience to give it some serious 'big box, little box' as if the last two decades had never existed. Then it's time for the hits. The original vocalist from the song Original - Toni Halliday from the long-defunct Curve, as well as Mr Lydon himself - unfortunately don't put in appearances, and although the former's replacement Tarantina acquits herself well, she's no match for Halliday's smoky, ethereal vocals. It's the only real misstep this evening, and it's not repeated when it comes to the rendition of the song that started it all in the first place - Open Up. Nobody can replicate Lydon's atonal squeal anyway so why bother? In his place, the original video is played over the stage backdrop and his vocals are turned up to the max. Barnes and co - with Nick Rice on drums really earning his corn here - steam through an extraordinary version of the track which builds and builds - seemingly getting louder and louder by the second - until the cranium-rattling finale, climaxing with 5000 souls screaming the classic refrain: "Burn Hollywood, burn! Taking down Tinseltown!" Utterly tremendous.
Performing classic albums in their entirety is increasingly common these days - it's a tried and tested way for many bands and artists to guarantee sell-out shows - but if any act deserved to showcase one of their records it is most certainly Leftfield with this truly epochal and monumentally influential offering. Tonight's show was a roaring success, and as an extremely sweaty but exultant throng leave the venue - no doubt stiff of knees and aching of backs - there's no doubt that my original query of whether the album still stands up live has been answered ten times over - with bells on. Stupendous.

SETLIST

Release The Pressure
Afro-Left
Melt
Song Of Life
Original
Black Flute
Space Shanty
Inspection (Check One)
Storm 3000
Open Up
21st Century Poem