Groups of people chatter excitedly on the street outside The Roundhouse in Camden as they wait for the time of the night when going in means not having to spend too much time on their feet, but also not missing the amazing Happyness, whose supporting set before Mac DeMarco deserves praise right from the off. These teenagers sitting on the pavement drinking beer and chatting are the same people who, just a few hours later, are tasked by Mac himself with holding the keyboardist, Joe, up above their heads for an entire song as part of a bizarre initiation to the band, and getting pictures with Mac after he’d launched himself into the crowd at the end of the set.
These are the kind of antics that must surely come as no surprise to DeMarco fans, as it’s quite clear from the moment him and his band come onstage that he is a boiling hot ball of eccentricity, and the crowd gladly drinks it in. The noises that escape each of the band members seem involuntary, as if the craziness is bubbling just below the surface and they can’t quite manage to keep all of it in… and who would want to? The guitarist, Pierce’s, high-pitched squeal of “Okie dokey” and Mac’s humble introduction are just a few of the things that make them seem endearing and innocent – almost naïve – to everyone in the room.
Soon enough though, it’s clear that there’s nothing naïve about their act, as they roll out some of their biggest hits including ‘Salad Days’ and ‘The Stars Keep Calling My Name’, as well as material from their newest album, released on 7th August. They’re a strange mix of 80s-style keyboards and whining guitar, blended perfectly with the right mix of eccentricity and rock to make something delightfully bizarre. And the crowd soak up every second of it. Amidst countless crowd-surfers and different individual mosh pits, the whole of the first five rows of the crowd periodically all lean in the same direction, creating a sort of hair-raising human wave across the room.
The band themselves even join in on the fun, and Mac himself is swamped with photos and hugs after diving off the stage in extravagant fashion to an instrumental chorus of ‘Together’, while the guitarist and bassist swap instruments by throwing them across the stage to each other.
As the lights flicker on, they illuminate a man and his band who look like they’re having the time of their lives, and a crowd who are giving just as good as they get. To be honest, on a night like this, it’s hard to imagine it not being the time of one’s life.
Check out Patrick Gunning’s photos from the gig here
Words by Ben Kitto