Ten years ago, you wouldn’t have had Caribou’s Dan Snaith pegged as Mr Saturday Night. His woozy folktronica was defiantly undanceable and he was such a hesitant performer that he would trigger samples of his own voice to avoid singing live. Tonight, silhouetted by strobes, he is the focal point of a joyous celebration, having hit upon the magic formula for music that is at once both intimate and communal. Caribou’s propulsive and faintly psychedelic electropop has a timeless quality to it – an impressive achievement when trends in electronic music move so fast. The way Snaith goofily waves to the crowd like a hacking contest victor confirms he couldn’t be cool if he tried, but musically he is a shrewd operator, borrowing from techno’s past and present to bolster his naive melodies. The clanging synth chords of Our Love and Bowls are designed to prompt nostalgia for rave’s halcyon era – Orbital is a key reference point – in the same way that the War on Drugs evoke warm memories of 80s rock radio. On top of that, Snaith proves that dance music can talk about love in a way that resonates with people who’ve long since merged their record collections. Can’t Do Without You is a hymn to co-dependency that unfurls as euphorically as any lust-driven house anthem. Your Love Will Set You Free, meanwhile, offers solace to a recently divorced friend, while still building to a juddering climax. Why should this stuff be left to the singer-songwriters? If there’s a tiny quibble, it’s that Snaith’s insistence on reconfiguring his programmed rhythms for the four-piece Caribou live band means that some tunes occasionally lack punch at crucial moments. Admittedly though, the occasional head-to-head drum duels provide a compelling spectacle, with the band’s close-knit interplay helping to engender a feeling of camaraderie that big-room dance music often promises, yet so rarely delivers.
