On their albums, Kentucky five-piece Cage the Elephant show off poppy riffs, crunching guitars and the overwhelming influence of The Pixies; short, sharp, sweet and sinister songs which feel just a little shallow. On stage, though, they’re transfigured, bringing all the hard grunge and punk edges of their music to the forefront. Feeding on an enthusiastic audience reaction, the whole band rocks hard from the start, but this is undoubtedly front man Matt Shultz’s show. A twitchy, head-banging agent of anarchy, he howls out lyrics as he tears at his shirt, stage-dives repeatedly and finally ends up standing like a punk colossus on his fans’ upraised hands. Forget the name: no cage could hold this much raw energy.
The Edge Festival at The Liquid Rooms, 24 Aug, 7.00 pm (10.00 pm), £12.00, fpp n/a.
tw rating 4/5
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Sections: by Dave Fargnoli - ED2011 Music Reviews - tw rating 4/5 | Tags: Cage The Elephant, Edge Festival
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