Review by Tom Wood

The London Olympics, a royal wedding, and another Sean Bean divorce; it’s been a long five years of waiting but this May, Clean Bandit are set to release their debut full length record. Having recently hit No1 with feel good house smash “Rather be” the band must feel like expectations for this have now lurched towards the stratosphere.

They’re eclectic and contemporary in the sense that they combine deeper electronic sounds with more classic(al) songwriting. Ahead of a busy summer schedule for the four-piece (20 festivals already booked) we managed to catch them serenading in one of Hackney’s grubbiest hidden treasures, The Laundry.

The predominantly female following were clearly out to party and managed to create a vibe of hen-party-meets-club-18-30 holiday. In a good way.They weren’t disappointed with a 50 minute set laden with feel good anthems.Whether it was the flurried pulses of ‘Mozart’s House’ their cover of DJ, SBTRKT’s ‘Wildfire’, the collective singalong of “A and E” or their most renowned piece, ‘Rather Be’ which predictably closed the set it was a night which was defined by dynamism and sheer authority. It’s unusual to see a band whose stage presence and ambitions are matched in that of their songwriting.

It’s going to be an interesting Summer to watch and see whether the obvious potential illustrated by this Cambridge group comes to fruition and they can now grow above and beyond “Rather Be”. Based on last nights set, our money’s on them to do it.

Clean Bandit played:-

Set list:

1. Mozart’s house

2. Rihanna

3. Uk Shanty

4. Dust Clears

5. Wildfire

6. Up Again

7. Extraordinary

8. A&E

9. Come Over

10. Cologne

11. Nightingale

12. Show Me Love

13. Rather Be

We’ll leave you with something a little different Clean Bandit did a month or so ago whilst on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge: A cover of Lorde’s mega-hit ‘Royals’.