Check out photos from Festival Hall here

Following sold-out shows across the country throughout the second half of 2009, reviews emerged that the infectious electro-pop duo La Roux weren’t quite up to scratch. Word spread like wildfire, that their shows were an appallingly lacklustre affair. It may have been a surprise to many, then, that the band should make their way out here again and so soon. Showered with verdicts left, right and centre right up until their return, I embraced the chance to form my own opinion.

A sea of cross-legged adolescents forming seated congregations spread across the Festival Hall floor. It was a strikingly young audience, those early in attendance questionably eighteen years old. The arrival of Tim And Jean would soon coax many toward the barrier, and the evening got underway. The WA band disappointed early on, Tim Ayre’s ludicrous ‘whoa-huh, whoa-ha’ refrain an awkward preface to their set, as much lame as it was ripe for parody. Watered down electro-pop soon followed, confirming all too well the slow start. Fortunately though, their initial form was soon forgotten as Africa provided the hook and the spark previously lost in their set. Though not a thoroughly exciting band to watch, they sound great, brilliantly cohesive. At their best, they’re a delightful combination of Passion Pit and Vampire Weekend; versed in creating key and synth accompanied pop that embeds itself into your brain effortlessly. I guess the only problem with that is, in addition to the aforementioned artists, Tim And Jean have enormous competition in their genre. They excel in pumping out club anthems and dancefloor fillers, stirring the crowd into action throughout their set (as seen with Come Around), but one has to wonder what hope they have when so many other groups so prominent in the public eye emulate a similar style with such success. They’re a talented lot, but time will tell if they end up competing with the heavyweights of the mainstream.

Roadies worked overtime to transform the Festival Hall stage ahead of the appearance Bertie Blackman and her band. The ominous impacts of a kick drum began proceedings, allowing Blackman to ease into the set before lashing out; the band unleashed all at once. It was another unfortunately weak beginning to the set, Blackman repelling interest from a crowd with their mind focused minutes ahead on the main event. Blackman took herself far more seriously than Tim And Jean, her music also proving far more progressive and not as accessible as one might expect. Tracks included a song debuted live which proved a truly quirky delight, and Birds Of Prey, the most popular of her set. Though executed well, this was a performance that ultimately sapped the fun and energy out of a previously lively audience; masses of people intent on the embrace of simple hooks and radio favourites. This should not at all be interpreted as a slight on Blackman and her band, it should only call into question the appropriateness of their appearance. Her genre was mostly incongruous with the other music of the night, which served neither musician nor punter well.

A constellation of cameras and phones emerged above the young crowd in adoration of the band’s Festival Hall debut. The visualizations and lighting sequences were strong assets throughout La Roux’s appearance and would continue to impress throughout the night. The band filed on stage as the bombastic Tigerlily claimed the opening track. Eleanor Jackson shuffled toward centre stage, nonchalantly, with a complete lack of energy and movement in her performance. It was particularly noticeable, as La Roux’s formation is very minimalist, only keyboards and an electronic drum kit charged with filling the huge stage. Jackson was always going to have to do more than sing to make up for that fact, but it just wasn’t happening. It would be revealed that a back injury sustained on a flight over was to blame for her stagnant nature, as La Roux apologized and the crowd – oddly enough – cheered.

With respect to the music, it was electro-pop mastery that met a fine pop sensibility consistently over the course of the set. It was at times difficult to identify which specific components of La Roux made up each specific sound, especially when a backing track was responsible for much of how it all came together. Recordings of backing vocals were also employed, initially making it difficult to pass judgment on Jackson’s voice. Overall, though, it was a tight, enjoyable show, the breathy Quicksand and the pulsating In For The Kill proving memorable highlights. As the night pushed on, the toll that the set was taking on Jackson was palpable. Reduced to an awkward middle-ground between shuffling and strutting to pass as stage presence, her voice slowly began to falter, with shrill results. It was just as well for all concerned that their set was only eleven songs long. This would, of course, include Bulletproof, the single-song encore of the night. The best was saved until last, with all in attendance completely crazy for the single.

There are certainly grounds to argue that La Roux’s performance at Festival Hall wasn’t all it could have been and, trawling through past reviews, it is easy to understand the charges and the faults that others bring against Jackson and her band. For all their on-stage shortcomings, however, La Roux are thoroughly capable of arranging the sorts of melodies and lines that repeat themselves over and over in minds of their audience. La Roux have conceived a collection of songs that are expertly catchy, and furthermore, deliver them to a standard great enough to produce an above-average evening for even the most picky and reluctant of those in attendance.