Hadouken @ Scala, London
February 3rd 2010
So, the new album has arrived and Hadouken bring it to the live circuit this evening at London’s Scala…
‘For The Masses’ makes it appearance tonight amidst a sea of early EP material and new track ‘Rebirth’ marks the start of the set. Apocalyptic beats thump, dooming brass, oh, and some cheeky synth stabs all assemble to conjoin with front man James Smith and his outrageously slick vocals.
Granted the place is filled with yes, you guessed it, the cast of Skins, but Hadouken are so much more. Their bespoke sound may not be for the populace, but it certainly deserves to be flaunted, consumed and to cross boundaries.
Sneakily inserting that standard Klaxons “oh oh” sample (you know, Atlantis To Interzone, the one they stole from a Casio keyboard) ‘Ugly’ is set loose upon the stage. Shouting the lines “I’m going to fuck your face off” some how triggers the WHOLE place to go hysterical and the apparent disorder is what makes the track. This is what Hadouken are all about, creating controversy, rebelling, making music that will cause you to react, rupture.
Hadouken at Scala
Their skills conveyed in the studio album translates extremely well on stage, samples in profusion and convicting synths (ala Alice Spooner) comes to the forefront on iconic track ‘That Boy That Girl’. Witnessing these early tunes next to all the brand spanking new material, developments have clearly been made. The band have grown up, become more industrial and slightly darker. All attributes which compile to set the utopian, idea infused band apart from their contemporaries
Hadouken started something back in 2006. They continue to push boundaries, and the masses will continue to listen to exactly what they have to say.
Words: Frazer Lawton
Picture: Ashley Wood