Closing out of Culture Collide Festival‘s second night were London-based band, Klaxons. Klaxons have been a well known band since the release of their first album, Myths of the Near Future, which also won the Mercury Prize. However, what everyone loves to argue about is whether they are a “rave” or rock band as they pull numerous influences into their music. Whichever genre you may think Klaxons are, we assume everyone can agree that they’ve written some of the most danceable songs in the indie realm and they aimed to have this reaction at the Echoplex last night.

However, what they got as a reaction was just a lot of bopping heads with arms crossed on bodies which were standing still. There was still a reciprocation going on between the band and the audience; they sounded great. However, it wasn’t until they played their older material that got people moving.

Once the first measure of “Oohs” of “Golden Skans” started, an immediate shift of comfort could be felt within the audience. Dance moves were now more obvious. Some even broke out into the fervid dancing that may have gotten Klaxons lumped in with with the “rave” bands. “Gravity’s Rainbows” also got a similar reaction yet the rest of the set didn’t seem to get a response that was up to par for their reputation.

It’s safe to assume that these fans were either only familiar with the old album or didn’t enjoy the new album much. Considering the fact that they took three years in between both albums, we may have put our expectations too high for the Surfing The Void. There’s no doubt that it’s a decent dance rock album but without tracks such as “Golden Skans,” that cat on their album cover isn’t going to help them much. Nonetheless, Klaxons are always a fun watch.

***Check more photos of Klaxons out in our Culture Collide Festival photo gallery on Friday!