With a lineup as strong as this, it was always going to be a pretty historic gig, the headline act Deerhunter have made quite a name for themselves over the last couple of years as have Health, Crystal Antlers still have a little way to go with building reputations but if tonight's performance was anything to go by they won't be far behind.
In fact Crystal Antlers really stood out and caught me more than Health which was really unexpected. In fact Crystal Antlers live show is really something to behold, taking full advantage of the larger stage with huge, trippy projections and a live sound that was aggressive yet also melodic and a percussionist who was absolutely mental from start to finish, Crystal Antlers have a lot of potential and hopefully next time they are around they'll be higher up the bill.
If you haven't checked out their latest album Tentacles yet you probably should.
Health were a little disappointing, maybe it's the fact that it was quite clear they had been on the back of an extensive tour (which shouldn't really be an excuse for a poor show) or maybe it was the fact that the sound just wasn't as bone shatteringly loud and sharp as last time I saw them but either way they weren't up to scratch.
By the time Deerhunter entered the stage Koko was heaving. So much so there was no way I was ever going to push my way through to the front, it is great to see such an original band start to reap the rewards. Playing a host of the great tracks from Microcastle and their latest e.p. 'Rainwater Cassette Exchange' opening with the title track from 'Cryptograms' which although heavy on record, eased the crowd into a much less intense start than we had from Crystal Antlers or Health which was pretty relentless noise throughout. Things really kicked off for Deerhunter with the brilliant 'Nothing Ever Happened' in which they jammed out the end of the song into a haze of noise, they did this for a few numbers and it was really refreshing, reminding you just what a reputation Deerhunter have built up with their live performances.
This was a big gig for Deerhunter, their biggest in London so far and apart from the bass guitar breaking forcing lead singer Bradford Cox to josh with the crowd for a few minutes things went off without a hitch and certainly wowed the packed venue.
