Bicep at The Brighton Centre - Review

The duo of Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar have been on an unstoppable rise to the top of the dance music game since 2017, being nominated for two awards at the Brit Awards 2021 and headlining the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2022.

This swelling of support is down to both their intricate, multi-cultural, breakbeat sound and ground-breaking, innovative live shows.

A Bicep gig is water-cooler conversation good and the pre-show bars were filled with fans swapping stories about the brilliance of previous performances.

Expectation was high, as Andrew and Matthew took their positions at 9pm on a raised platform in the centre of the stage, facing towards each other, surrounded by an array of computers and state-of-the-art musical equipment.

Alongside the musicians, are thick lines of neon lights spelling out the word Bicep, creating a Blade Runner, post-apocalyptic setting that is aesthetically slick and impressive.

It perfectly shapes the opening track X with its futuristic, metallic-sounding synths and rising chorus motifs that swirls upwards in volume and energy.

From the first croquet of music, the whole of the Brighton Centre is on its feet, including those seated at the back of the venue, a rare sight as everyone becomes totally invested by what is being presented to them.

Atlas has the staple melodic thread that binds many Bicep songs together, which is mixed with an expansive backdrop of the second album artwork - Isles.

Songs begin to flow effortlessly through the duo’s back catalogue. A psychedelic-twist is spun onto Just, providing a smoother landing from the all-action opening tracks.

Meli (II) and Opal sonically match this tone, many of the audience were clearly on the dancefloors for early Leftfield and Underworld gigs in the 90s, and these influences are clearly heard in this performance.

While Bicep’s easy-listening groves have made them the household act they are today, at times their song structures can become predictable and beige, as exemplified by Aura and Cazenove, which slightly dampen the Brighton Centre’s spirits.

However, this does not last long, as the crowd erupts on hearing Clara La San’s angelic vocal on X, a real throwback garage track that is Bicep’s closest attempt at a traditional pop song.

The set now enters a heavy-techno crescendo. Hawk, Boss Rythem and Sundial fire thick layers of bass and crunching drum beats, as the crowd are blinded by flashing streaks of white lights that act as lightning bolts in the storm of noise created by Andrew and Matthew.

There is a lot of anticipation for the show finale, as the biggest hits of Glue and Apricots are still waiting to be unleashed.

The boys return to the stage and when the whispering tones of the Glue vocals funnel through the sound system, a blanket of mobile phones are raised to the sky in a rave-like prayer.

The performance of the song is disappointingly insipid, despite the technicolour visuals it is performed with.

However, this is the highpoint of the night for many in attendance, who feel new life breathed into their dancing shoes when Apricots follows next, performed with a more intense energy then on the recorded album track.

The Belfast duo saved their most impressive display until last however with their finale song of Water, the latest single released by the pair.

The euphoric track ascends to a frenzy with its speeding synths and fuzzy baseline, leaving the audience on tenterhooks for its drop.

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When it eventually does, it explodes alongside a dizzying display of shooting colours and lights, symbolising the chaos the has song descended into, a dramatic end to a spell-binding show.

Major dance acts are now expected to produce an impressive visual display, but Bicep have taken this to a whole new level.

Their music displays their appreciation of the greats but also represents their vision and sound for the future of dancefloor anthems.

For those that have just started their raving career, or even those that think their one might be over, a Bicep concert is the perfect place for all those that love the genre.