Alphabeat (The Cockpit, Leeds)

I’m a fan of Europop, and I do like the Danish Aqua, but my partner is the one who’s into the new Danish sensation, Alphabeat, so we went along to see them perform a gig at The Cockpit in Leeds last night.

In preparation for the gig I’d listened to their first album, This Is Alphabeat, earlier that day, and I’m familiar with the singles, including The Spell, the new one, so I knew what songs to expect. I’ve not been to The Cockpit before – it’s a lot smaller than I’d expected, and would only hold a fraction of the Manchester Apolllo (where I saw Alesha Dixon on Friday), standing room only. Full of indie types too – something I’m definitely not!

Although they only performed from 9pm til 10pm (we got there at 8pm in time for the support act, Kinch, who we listened to from the other room while having a drink. They were ok. If you like that sort of thing. And I don’t particularly) Alphabeat generated a lot of fun and gave a spirited, energetic performance.

I couldn’t take my eyes of the lead male singer, Anders (there are 5 guys and a lady in Alphabeat – 3 of the men are named Anders, and one’s called Troll, or something similar), who was a ball of energy, jumping all over the small stage, enthusiastically beating a tambourine against his torso, and generally getting very excited – I was afraid if he didn’t calm down he’d hurt himself. His performance was mesmerizing, and distracted me from Stein, the female vocalist, who was less animated, but had an equally fantastic voice.

The set list was as follows:

1. Always Up With You
2. Go-Go
3. The Spell
4. Heart Failiure
5. What Is Happening
6. DJ
7. Chess
8. Ain't Nobody
9. Touch Me Touching U
10. 10000 Nights
11. The Beat Is
12. Boyfriend

13. Hole In My Heart
14. Fascination

Of these 14 songs, 6 I knew from the first album, 1 was The Spell, and the others were all new material (apart from the Chaka Khan cover, Ain't Nobody, which I know from the Liberty X version, sad to say). The crowd seemed a bit miffed by some of the new stuff! They’ve got a new album out next year, so of course they’re showcasing new tracks! The singles certainly went down well, to be expected I suppose – it’s always harder to judge new material from a live performance on one listen I think.

I enjoyed Alphabeat’s performance a great deal, particularly when I recognised the tracks! The call-and-response that Anders instigated on a couple of the songs was fun, and it all reached a climax on a high with the single Fascination.