Under the shadows of Big Ben and Westminster exists a beautiful, Baroque square. Within it stands St John's Church, now a concert hall.

Last night, the 40 minute queue outside the venue gave the crowd attending the Arcade Fire gig a chance to admire the wonderful work of one Thomas Archer. Being a wonderful setting that it is means that there's no Costcutter or corner store in striking distance. This means no beer to sip from a can. Add sixty minutes of waiting inside the church and you've got a perfect mix of agitation and sobriety, in admittedly fabulous surroundings.

That's where Arcade Fire came in. Oh, the elegance! What lucky 500 people we were to have their scribblings of poetry ready to greet us at our chairs? What privilege it was to sit in silence waiting for their arrival from a room marked "Arcade Fire Dressing Room" as Ben struck the half-hour past 8 o'clock tone?

But they were beautiful too. Fresh from the previous night's antics on the steps, the 10 Arcade Fires stood two feet beside me to play a slow, acoustic "Wake Up". So sweet to hear music as it should be heard, so close and so personal.

The rest of the proceedings took place on stage for the next one and a half hours amidst much instrument hopping. Bored of playing the bass? No probs, bang on fake ivories for a bit. After all, every other Canadian band is practicing the art of instrument sharing.

The reverential silence between songs at the start prompted the lead singer Win Butler to joke that we were like a Japanese audience. This gag belied the fact that we were really enjoying their tight set. The crowd, embued with the indie appreciation for a relatively unknown band, slowly saw sense. Haiti and some of their new stuff from Neon Bible was as energetic as anything you're likely to see this year.

During the stomping Rebellion, Win Butler went walkabout. Standing on my chair, he managed to step all over my coat. Probably my finest rock'n'roll moment probably followed when I roared at him to "Mind my coat!". (Go play "Where's Wally?" below and here)



It must be really hard to make so many sounds gel into something coherent. However, Arcade Fire make it look easy. How many times have you heard Funeral and thought that it could never be as good in a live environment? Some of the new tracks bring a Bruce Springsteen/Johnny Cash flavour to their repetoire and will be instantly applauded. Some others will receive the next-song button treatment.

If it was good enough for Chris Martin last night, it was good enough for the rest of us who paid £16 to gain entry. The 56 euro price tag and the surrounds for the Dublin gigs might not match St John's, but you can always blame MCD. The ferry doesn't pay for itself you know!

tags:arcade fire