Take a fleeting glance at the four white-clad figures on stage at this NME awards show, and you would be forgiven for fearing they make bloodless, Johnny Borrell-inspired indie. But as Daniel Snaith, the Canadian-born, London-based heart of Caribou begins whacking a snare drum in time to the heavy, demanding rhythm of Leave House, you realise that this is far from the case.
With 2007's Andorra, Snaith nurtured his fledgling folktronica into 60s psychedelia; but his fifth album, 2010's Swim, saw his sound blossom into fully fledged, hands-in-the-air dance music. The ever-evolving Snaith clusters with his three-piece band at the front of the stage, and certainly looks as though he's found a home. With the fluidity that made Swim such a success, the band feed off one another as the agenda-setting beats of Niobe slip into the jangly dream pop of Melody House.
Snaith's light, choirboy vocals are bolstered by John Schmersal's harmonies and uncompromising bass, while Ryan Smith swaps deftly between chiming guitar and seething keyboards. It's drummer Brad Weber, however, who gives Snaith's music its chaotic power and restless spirit. With stark strobe lights flashing and Swim's artwork projected in multicoloured hues and crazy patterns on a creased white backdrop, the likes of Hannibal and Lalibela take on a even more hypnotic feel. Introspective melodies jostle with climatic highs, and the semi-seated venue develops the heady atmosphere of a festival dance tent.
Odessa is a highlight, thrilling with its blend of lyrical regret and pop-tinged dance, Schmersal's distorted, intrusive bass providing Snaith's trademark note of unease. When the band disappear, with a breezy "thank you" from their leader, the crowd stamp their feet and roar for more. Their reward is an encore of Sun, an Ibiza anthem from the first echo-coated refrain, each dizzying peak pushing the atmospherics higher. Bent over his keyboard, Snaith's silhouette is that of a superstar DJ. His latest incarnation is the best yet.
