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In the lead up to alt-J’s recent show at The Olympia in the heart of Dublin, I was unsure of what to expect. The last time I’d had the chance to see them, I was seventeen and at Longitude with my friends. I remember laughing a lot, spinning in circles, arms outstretched. I remember knowing only two or three of their songs, and being completely unprepared for how good the band were. That moment ended up being one of the highlights of my whole summer.

Now, nearly four years on, I know more than two or three of their songs, and I had something to compare the show to. I wondered if the vastly different circumstances of the shows would have a negative impact on my experience. That is, I knew they were good in front of a large crowd, in the open air, as the sky started to turn dark, and the lights shone on us all. But I didn’t know if they would be as good in a venue like The Olympia, with its proscenium arch, enclosed space and nowhere to hide.

I decided to complete the throwback experience and bring one of my best friends of almost eight years – my partner in crime at Longitude all those years ago. She remembered dancing tipsily to alt-J that summer, but didn’t remember any of their songs. It seem like she was going in with an entirely blank slate. I thought, if she enjoyed it as much as I did, considering I’ve become a steadfast fan of the band, then that would be a good marker of whether or not they were as likable performers as I’d remembered.

Spoiler: she did enjoy it.

This tour was coming off the back of the release of REDUXER, an album of hip hop and R&B styled remixes of alt-J’s most recent original album, RELAXER. I got the chance to chat to Gus from the band a few months ago about REDUXER. According to him, the band offered up the songs on their album RELAXER, and were not involved in the editing or remixing processes for each of the new songs inspired by their own original songs. Their first time hearing these tracks was in their finished state, sent back to them ready to be compiled into REDUXER. Considering the band weren’t directly involved in the styling of these tracks, I was interested to see if they would have any influence on or be incorporated into the show.  But Gus had advised me that the upcoming shows would be “original alt-J”, the alt-J that their fans knew and loved. And that is exactly what they delivered.

An impressive set spanned through some of their most well-loved hits. Ripples of excitement rolled through the crowd when they started songs such as ‘In Cold Blood’, ‘Left Hand Free’, ‘Hunger of the Pines’, ‘Taro’ and, of course, ‘Breezeblocks’. The gig was high energy; the crowd were eager and hungry, drinking in every syllable thrown their way. The band made interesting use of the stage space they had, each of them standing separated from the others by tall beams of light, which threw a blue hue onto the audience’s faces.

There was something incredibly exciting about being part of that gig, and that experience. Alt-J were as good, if not better, on stage than I remembered; even better than any of their studio-recorded tracks. I think there’s often a misconception of alt-J as a band who kind of throws sounds together, who have a niche sound and will just make nonsense songs which fit into narrow ideas or expectations. Yet the songs often mean more than the surface level would have you believe, and they are a band who put incredible thought into their songwriting. The same thought went into their live performance. This level of attention was borne out onstage at The Olympia in the middle of October, with a spellbinding show that had everyone leaving the venue absolutely buzzing, spilling into nearby bars and pubs, undoubtedly ready for another few pints and a post-gig dissection of the night.