Caribou live at Summer Sundae 2010

Before this evening I hadn’t seen Caribou live, and had only heard a few tracks that resembled 60s west coast psychedelia re-imagined through glitchy electronica. Interesting but not obviously suited to a live arena.

The stage setup doesn’t give anything away either - everything is arranged in a tight square front and centre, two drumkits of different sizes facing each other, and various pieces of retro electronic gear slotted in where possible. It’s not clear how they’re going to play to the crowd in such a claustrophobic configuration. When the band come on they do so quietly with little fuss, take position, and then explode into what has to be one of the highlights of Summer Sundae 2010.

This is going to be tricky to describe, because I guarantee that nothing you’ve heard on record can prepare you for the live show. Caribou subtly build fragmented and partial layers of melody and isolated riffs that would be quite mellow on their own, but as they stack up and entwine you’re becoming aware that an unstoppable force is mounting. The sonic barrage builds, assisted by a brutally accurate and skilled rhythm section, until the effect is one of being utterly overwhelmed by the sheer volume and intensity of the proceedings. The stage layout becomes clear - Caribou have created their own little insular world on stage, where they construct a sonic tornado from within the very eye and then unleash the raw energy out into the crowd. There’s a sense of being blissfully uplifted and remorselessly pummelled at the same time.

Tonight’s set focuses on material from the latest album ‘Swim’ and contains the gloriously energising and melodic ‘Odessa’, but at the other end of the spectrum they take the hall to pieces with an extended and devastating take on ‘Sun’ that leaves the crowd visibly awed. Make no mistake, this is an atmosphere that doesn’t lend itself well to words, but reaches into the realms of pure sensory overload. The silence following the set before the crowd erupt in appreciation is almost painful by comparison.

Walking round afterwards, the consensus is that Caribou have just created one of the defining moments of the festival and one that will live on in the minds of those fortunate enough to have experienced it.