Broken Bells – Shepherd's Bush Empire, London 24/03/14

Just before the somewhat unusual pairing of Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and James ‘The Shins’ Mercer arrive on stage, the crowd at Shepherd’s Bush Empire are faced with a projection of themselves, to create the illusion that the stage is completely encompassed by cheering Broken Bells fans packed in almost uncomfortably tightly, three stories high into the legendary venue.

After The Disco, the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut has been well received, and there is an air of anticipation in the air. The show begins as dramatically as you would hope, as images of the crowd’s faces give way to a starry sky and a striking set of large aluminium lights and white curved keyboard stands that look as if lifted straight out of the set of a 60s sci-fi movie. As the driving drums of “Perfect World” kick in though, it’s a little disappointing that the sound is somewhat muddy at first, and there’s a nervous tension in the air that it doesn’t quite live up to the brilliant production values of the record.

Nerves are soon abated. Although “Ghost Inside” also feels a little lazy, Mercer’s soaring, distinctive voice just seems to sound better and better as the night goes on, and as the surfy-guitar and phasing synths ring out most of the room are dancing and singing along.

The entire band are dressed in black, Danger Mouse dons a characteristically stoic impression throughout and Mercer barely addresses the crowd for the entire set apart from occasionally announcing the title of the next song. For the most part tracks phase from one into the other, familiar bass lines or synth melodies prompting cheers of recognition as each song begins. Lit by a backdrop of some pretty stunning geometric projections, the light show has been meticulously produced as the album, and there’s a sense at times of looking in at a studio production rather than a 2,000 capacity concert.

Songs from the new record fit in well alongside those from their debut, although the more 80s pop inspired tracks such as “Meryn Field” and “The Mall and the Misery” seem somehow more impactful, especially against the spacey backdrop than some of the funkier, disco numbers, such as “Control” which seemed to lack some of the energy that the album promised.

By the end of the encore though, the slower start to the show had been forgotten. Finishing with the infectious “October”, with its solid catchy riff on the keys and almost choral sounding backing vocals filling the room, Broken Bells showed they’re worthy of the critical acclaim of which they’re so often on the end.

• Photo by Jason Williamson. See the rest of the gallery here.