JUSTICE // O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY, LONDON
'JUSTICE' TAKE UP A 2 NIGHT SOLD OUT RESIDENCY AT LONDON'S O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY AS PART OF THEIR ONLY UK SHOWS ON THEIR EUROPEAN TOUR.
JUSTICE PERFORMING FIRST OF TWO SOLD OUT SHOW'S AT LONDON'S O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY - 28/09/2017
PICTURE BY: NICOLE RUSHWORTH PHOTOGRAPHY
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Hailing from across The Channel, French duo Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, better known as Justice, brought their electric live show to London for the first time since 2012. The pair know how loved they are, basking in the fans’ reactions to the slightest note or hint of a song that ultimately takes them to somewhere in their past. The two-night residency in at London’s O2 Academy Brixton was dedicated to the fans, to say they had the crowd in the palm of their hands would be an understatement.
Opening with ‘Safe and Sound’ from Justice’s latest album Woman the build that started the show never once dropped or fell on deaf ears. From the gradual build of the opener they delved straight in for the classic ‘D.A.N.C.E’ from 2007’s †. Arguably what catapulted them to onto the soundtracks of house parties of the late noughties and beyond – certainly something that has featured heavily on my playlists since my teen years.
For those in the audience who weren’t caught up in the hype from the start, they certainly would have been ready to dance their way into the night after the first few minutes as the crowd went wild for the next two hours.
Whilst the transitions between tracks may have lacked some overarching theme, the fans didn’t seem to mind one bit. The set was backed by the most spectacular technical light show. With rotating LED light screens, backed by mirrors, and LEDs covering near enough the entire stage it was a spectacle not to be missed. Mesmerising and beautiful there were moments of visual subtlety and all out extravagance. Even when the pair appeared on the balcony to start the encore the staging was never dull or under produced. Reflecting the crowd back at themselves, the staging provided a stunning back drop to the classic electronic dance/rock/disco extravaganza.
Interaction with the crowd was not of the speaking variety. Stopping the music for what seemed like an eternity just to hear the crowd roar their appreciation – in an almost pantomime “I can’t hear you!” move that felt both jarring and right at the same time. The twosome have a mystique that they play up on stage, for the good of their performance. Augé with his emblazoned Justice jacket and Rosnay in his shocking blue bomber the pair make quite the scene.
With a set that paid homage to the last 10 years of their careers Justice played just about everything the crowd could have asked for, how can you not dance to ‘We Are Your Friends’ and the seminal ‘Audio, Visual, Disco.’ I could have been in Brixton O2 on Thursday night or back in my teenage bedroom thinking I was the coolest thing since sliced bread, but quite possibly Justice actually are.
JUSTICE'S UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
SEPTEMBER 29TH : O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY - LONDON, UK
OCTOBER 9TH : HALLE TONY GARNIER - LYON, FRANCE
OCTOBER 14TH : ACCOR HOTELS ARENA - PARIS, FRANCE
OCTOBER 20TH : C-HALLE - BERLIN, GERMANY
OCTOBER 21ST : PALLADIUM - COLOGNE, GERMANY
OCTOBER 28TH : CAMP FLOG GNAW - LOS ANGELES, USA
DECEMBER 31ST : COLORADO CONVENTION CENTER - DENVER, USA