Everybody Nose

The last time that I went to Brixton Academy was a few years ago, I don't remember too much about the night so was not expecting the huge queue. Then again it was to be expected as it was N*E*R*D playing the venue and it was a sell out. We took up our place in the queue and remained motionless for a while, the queue continued to grow in capacity and the only movement we made was to build up our collection of flyers handed to us. Eventually we were inside and instead of making our way to the Bar we headed to the stage to try and get as close as possible!

The support act were The Script, I had heard these in the car and was looking forward to seeing them live. They didn't disappoint as a couple of their songs were really good, will have to check out their album! After they had built the crowd up and left the stage the sound switched to something pre-recorded. Whether it was an album or a compilation I couldn't make it out as it wasn't played too loud. Then the main event started as the band took to the stage only to strike up the beginning of Anti Matter before leaving. Whether this was to tease the crowd or there was a technical problem it wasn't clear but they soon returned this time Pharrell leading everyone out, Shay on our side of the stage and Chad taking to the keyboard in the centre.

As Anti Matter played out in full the crowd rushed behind us and me and my partner were crushed as the set started before order was resumed. As Anti Matter finished they then moved onto Brain from their first album. This isn't a song I was too familiar with but my partner was loving it! It became clear why there was a film crew on the stage as Pharrell told the audience that they were to be filming for their next single Spaz. This is a song getting a lot of play on my iPod at the moment and it was clear from Seeing Sounds that it was to be released as a single at some point. Everyone was on it during this song and the lighting was really impressive.

The tunes that really stood out were the obvious classics in Lapdance and Rockstar, everyone responded to these and the atmosphere was immense. Maybe and Fly-or-Die were also quality as were Backseat Love and then came their current hit Everybody Nose followed by She Wants to Dance which with the help of a rather large bouncer consisted of 15 - 20 girls from the audience being pulled from the crowd. My partner was eager to get involved but she wasn't really feeling getting up on stage in front of thousands of people. Pharrell loved it and as I am sure did all the girls dancing with him. Then came the highlight for me when they broke into a 7 Nation Army cover from the White Stripes with the lyrics from Everybody Nose. I roared with approval and so did many others enjoying the night. As the night ended Chad dived into the crowd and then everyone left the stage. The crowd hungry for more called them to return for an encore and they came back for Pharrell to perform Frontin'. Excellent night and we left Seeing Sounds and satisfied with the night we had experienced!