Live Review: Cage The Elephant - O2 Brixton Academy, London 17/02/2025
Brixton Academy can’t Cage the Elephant.
Warming up Brixton on a bitterly cold Monday night, main support Sunflower Bean bring scuzzy guitars and vocals with a punchy punk edge, with lead singer Julia Cumming prowling the stage irresistibly. Shortly after ‘Shake’ she growls “I’ve been shaking for the hell of it” with rock and roll nonchalance, and after a few songs passionately exclaims to a hyped up crowd that “London is one of the best cities, and this is one of the best venues in the world. Come on London let’s make some fucking noise!”, which sends everyone in the room hysterical.
Perfectly primed for a party, Cage the Elephant enter the stage with with dramatic flames shooting up from the stage. Still riding a wave of the back of a phenomenal 47 date tour across the US last summer, Grammy Award winning rockers are full of confidence, with thunderous drums and mid song screaming guitar solos.
Cage the Elephant aren’t here to mess about, their ever effervescent singer Matt Schultz wildly gyrating as he wails “Baby don’t cry” on second song ‘Cry Baby’. This track has a Black Sabbath esque heaviness fused with hypnotic effects to create a truly compelling sound. ‘Too Late to Say Goodbye’ and ‘Cold Cold Cold’ invite huge singalongs, their cult following bellowing every word. As Matt suggestively sings: ‘You can take me when I’m on the floor’, twisting and turning like a Tasmanian devil, exploring every square foot of the hallowed stage below his feet to remarkable effect throughout his wildly energetic performance.
In a rare but engaging exchange with the rapturous audience, Matt expresses his sheer joy at being back playing in London, saying “It’s been about five years since we last played here! We started out in London living in Leyton. I remember us being on the Central Line drinking Strongbow and gin on the tube. You know, we were on a budget and that was our drink of choice!”, which gets the crowd laughing.
On single ‘Neon Pill’ from last year’s album of the same name, the psychedelic pill like imagery flashing on the screen behind them is mesmerising combined with the smooth vocals and jangly effects layered over the top. Their Red Hot Chill Peppers funk tinged rock is still clearly a huge hit with their followers despite their five year live absence from London. This is is highlighted by the fact that debut album signature songs ‘Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked’ and ‘Back Against the Wall’ are left until the latter part of their set, with songs from every one of their six studio albums eliciting an equally enthusiastic response. That they have sold out this prestigious venue is a testament to their enduring popularity since their early days playing intimate sweaty clubs on the circuit in 2008.
Speaking to NME in November last year about their touring plans, their show tonight stands them in good stead as they will indeed be ‘Standing On the Shoulder of Giants’ after this tour when they will be supporting Oasis on their North American tour leg. They joked
“I mean, everybody has their own path - they probably could give me some good advice! Jokingly, me and Matt did say, for the tour promo, we should have put together the old MTB Celebrity Deathmatch. One of us teams up with one of team, and we’ll do the old claymation Battle Royale! But me and Matt have gone through our things as well. Family is family at the end of the day”. This self deprecation is typical of the band, who never take themselves too seriously.
Finishing with a four song encore, final song ‘Come Little Closer’ is a rousing end to a phenomenal performance by a band at the peak of their powers, and sure to set festivals alight with their funk fuelled flamboyance this summer, they are certainly not to be missed.
Words by Brendan Sharp
Photography by Stefania Mohottige
