Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – review Jul 21st 2013, 17:15
Somerset House, London
The invention of ex-electro-popper Alexander Ebert, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are a collective who espouse positivity, led by a pseudo-preacher who bounces off stage before the first song's over, eager to get closer to his congregation.
It was an interesting debut and a cute cover version that edged Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and their big-hearted, big-chorused folk-pop towards the mainstream. Ebert, with his hair piled atop his head and wearing a half-buttoned shirt, looks more suited to a beach in Goa than his palatial surroundings, but opener Man on Fire, I Don't Want to Pray and 40 Day Dream are greeted by screams usually reserved for boybands, not would-be spiritual leaders.
The excitement dies down as Ebert runs around the stage filming his 11-strong band on a fan's phone, leaving vocal duties to smiley songstress Jade Castrinos and guitarist Christian Letts, before percussionist Christopher "Crash" Richards delivers a fantastic Prince-like falsetto on Tell It on the Mountain (I'm on Fire). "Smells really good up here," he comments. "People are smoking marijuana," someone chimes in.
Maybe the heady fumes are to blame for 12-step devotee's Ebert reluctance to finish Up From Below and his bout of paranoia following a lukewarm response to This Life. "What's the matter, you don't like that song?" he asks anxiously, "What's the matter?" In fact the track, which along with the well-received Better Days is taken from the band's upcoming eponymous third album, is a brilliant combination of their florid debut and the contemplative soul of its successor.
Still, the band, while fun, are short on fireworks, and it's not until Ebert teams up with Castrinos for a rambunctious Home that the show captures its early promise – the frontman once again mingling among the faithful, listening to their stories and outpourings of love with pride and zeal.
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Rating: 3/5
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