Arcade Fire Deliver Everything Now At Wembley Arena

by | Apr 14, 2018

 (Paul Lyme)

Arcade Fire end the second night of their Wembley Arena run with a traditional New Orleans-style second line parade. Joined by that city’s Preservation Hall Jazz Band, they perform David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel while making their way through the crowd.

As with everything tonight, the experience is vividly captured on camera and projected onto the four giant screens above each side of the stage. But what’s most striking about this footage isn’t how immediate it feels, it’s the joy it captures. The audience aren’t just singing along and taking pictures. Some are outright grinning, others are clearly overwhelmed, most are reaching out to pat the passing musicians on the back.

 (Paul Lyme)

In those five minutes alone, Arcade Fire make a more powerful statement about music (it’s not just a commodity) than they achieved across the 13 tracks of most recent release Everything Now. The album and promotional campaign tackled other issues too, from the always-on look-at-me media landscape to the insidious power of corporations (oh, hello, Facebook); in the live show the Big Themes take a back seat.

 (Paul Lyme)

During intermission there are a few fake TV adverts (for ‘Electric Blue’ eye drops and ‘Creature Comforts’ cereal) and an intentionally heavy handed reminder to buy souvenirs. An opening gambit sees the band enter as if they’re the fighters at a pay-per-view boxing match. But as soon as Arcade Fire reach the stage at the centre of the arena floor, they’re all about the music.

Sure, there’s a spectacle to seeing musicians performing in the round, constantly moving to cover all four fronts (or, in the case of Jeremy Gara, have their drum kit on a rotating platform). There’s a beauty to the venue being lit up by mobile phones during a triumphant rendition of the ballad Ocean Of Noise.

 (Paul Lyme)

There’s a rush to following Will Butler pound a drum during Rebellion (Lies) as he leaps onto platforms or bounces off the ropes that initially enclose the stage like a boxing ring. There’s wonderment at Régine Chassagne’s dazzling gold-sequined disco diva transformation during a big-groove makeover of Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) complete with mirror ball and her ribbon dancing.

 (Paul Lyme)

There’s astonishment at the ease with which they slip between the more traditional indie-rock approach of early albums Funeral and Neon Bible and the electronic sounds they’ve been exploring since 2013’s Reflektor. There’s even a sense of marvel to watching them nonchalantly swap between instruments mid-song.

But most of all there’s the knock-out punch that comes from hearing (and seeing in extreme close-up on the big screens) nine supremely talented musicians playing as one. It happens over and over again.

 (Paul Lyme)

Ready To Start, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), No Cars Go, and Wake Up are unstoppable. Over a muscular groove laid down by multi-instrumentalists Richard Reed Parry and Tim Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld adds violin, Stuart Bogie brings the brass, Tiwill Duprate plays percussion, Chassagne handles everything from glockenspiel to extra drums, and frontman Win Butler plays guitar as earnestly as he sings.

Frankly, it’s difficult to keep track of what’s happening on stage (somebody somewhere up there is usually playing something other than you thought they were), but the results are exhibit A in the case for live music’s life-altering impact.

 (Paul Lyme)

So is their singalong rendition of Jarvis Cocker’s on-message Running The World, flamboyantly sung by the Pulp frontman himself. A hidden track on his debut solo album released over 10 years ago, the disturbingly topical song is given the exposure it demands and must have turned at least one punter on to Cocker’s work.

 (Paul Lyme)

The same must be true for Creature Comfort. Any Arcade Fire “purists” who’d ignored the latest LP can only have been won over by the electro duet. All synths, New Order vibes, insatiable beats, and the contrasting voices of Butler and Chassagne, it’s the most welcome surprise of the night, and the perfect appetiser for Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out). Given a slight 2018 makeover, the aggressive rocker from their debut album is now the perfect bridge between the old and the new, and a big, intense finish to the main set.

As the sweaty, but clearly ecstatic, band leave the stage, the screens show smiles on their faces almost as wide as those later seen beaming back during Rebel Rebel. Almost.

 (Paul Lyme)

Review of Arcade Fire @ Wembley Arena by Nils van der Linden. Photography by Paul Lyme.

https://rockshotmagazine.com/207437/elbow-fill-the-o2-with-with-warmth-and-joy/

Opus Stage for Lorna Shore - @ Download Festival XXII - Sunday (Simon Reed)

Sunday In Photos At Download Festival XXII

Sunday at Download Festival XXII delivered an electrifying finale to an unforgettable weekend, blending heavy riffs,...

The Zipheads launch a Rock’n’Roll Renaissance on Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th is, of course, the perfect day for The Zipheads to launch their much awaited third album Rock‘n’Roll...
Sophie Lloyd @ Download Festival XXII - Saturday (Simon Reed)

Saturday In Photos At Download Festival XXII

As Download XXII roared into its second full day, Saturday continued the weekend's adrenaline-fuelled ride with...
Charli xcx @ Lido Festival 2025 (Henry Redcliffe)

Charli xcx’s ‘PARTYGIRL’ Rules The Night At LIDO Festival 2025 — A Euphoric Takeover In East London

East London was ablaze with brat energy on Saturday night as Charli xcx delivered a genre-defying, euphoric headline...
Green Day @ Download Festival XXII - Friday (Simon Reed)

Friday In Photos At Download Festival XXII

The sun rose over Donington Park as Download XXII launched into its first full day of music on Friday, setting the...
Roger Daltrey with The Who - Teenage Cancer Trust @ Royal Albert Hall (Kalpesh Patel)

Roger Daltrey Awarded Knighthood for Services To Music And Charity

Roger Daltrey, legendary frontman of The Who and lifelong champion of young people facing cancer, has officially been awarded a Knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours list for 2025. The honour recognises not only his groundbreaking contributions to British music, but also his tireless work with Teenage Cancer Trust, the charity he has helped elevate to national prominence over the past three decades.

Sophie Grey @ Heilbronn (Kevin Ford)

Sophie Grey Brings ‘Retro Electro’ To The Big Stage With Sting Collab And New Music Video

Armed with a keytar, a singular sonic aesthetic, and an unapologetic love for retro-electro vibes, Sophie Grey is carving her place on the global stage — one synth-heavy track at a time. This summer, the rising artist has not only opened arena shows across Europe but has also shared the stage with none other than Sting, adding her signature flair to performances of The Police classic Spirits In The Material World on his 3.0 tour.

Fiaa Hamilton (Adam Brazier)

Fiaa Hamilton Celebrates Birthday With Empowering New Single ‘Nothing Is Perfect’

Rising pop powerhouse Fiaa Hamilton continues her skyward trajectory with the release of her bold and emotionally resonant new single Nothing Is Perfect, arriving just in time to mark her birthday. The track sees Fiaa cement her growing status as one of 2025’s most compelling new voices in pop, following a breakout year that’s included a New Faces For 2025 nod from The Sun and a performance at TikTok’s Live Fest alongside Jason Derulo and Zara Larsson at London’s iconic Roundhouse.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing