M83 arrived in New York City this week for two sold-out shows at Manhattan’s Terminal 5 as part of their first tour in six years. The electro-pop brainchild of songwriter and frontman Anthony Gonzalez is fresh off the release of their ninth studio LP, Fantasy, via Mute Records.
The new album dives deep into the progressive side of synth-pop, transporting the listener to vast landscapes flooded with dreamy shoegaze, and featured heavily in the set played. Gonzalez opens the show with the first five songs on the album, stretching them out to even greater lengths with sonic tangents and dreamy interludes. Fans were swept up by the swirling arrays of synths and guitars with little deviation from the pattern. After the burst of Fantasy songs to start the show, Gonzalez then played two slow-burning songs from 2003’s Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts “Run Into Flowers” and “Gone.”
Though beautiful to hear, such a glacial pace meant that there was a risk of the show deviating into more stale waters. With such a long stretch of dreamier and more progressive moments from the M83 catalog, fans were eager to dance. The title track to Fantasy offered them that chance, boasting a strong disco backbone from the rhythm section with shimmering synths and vocals, with the crowd erupting with all the energy that had been building since the lights went off. Gonzalez and company kept the crowd moving and that energy high, hitting them with another upbeat favorite “Don’t Save Us From The Flames,” off 2005’s Before The Dawn Heals Us.
There was time for surprises, too, with Before The Dawn Heals Us deep cuts, “*” and “Teen Angst” getting their time in the sun, the former getting being dusted off for this tour for the first time since 2009 and the latter for the first time since 2013. Such treats were not lost on the fans, with both songs kicking off to enormous receptions.
Rounding things off with Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming highlight “My Tears Are Becoming A Sea,” Gonzalez briefly thanked the crowd, said “Goodnight” and left the stage for a short break. Yet there was a collective anticipation in the air as every person in the room knew which song was saved for last. When they walked back on stage for the encore, the first synth notes of “Midnight City” rang through the cavernous Terminal 5, sending the audience into a frenzy. A major hit for the band, used in a myriad of different ways over the years, it goes beyond that in terms of the song’s influence. “Midnight City” is a perfectly crafted song for the modern indie age, with a beat that instantly conjures energy and movement in the listener no matter what. With a masterful saxophone groove taking over as the song fades out, and an outro that one could honestly listen to forever, it was a fitting finish to such a euphoric night.
The tour is still in the early days; head over to M83’s website to see the full list of dates and stay tuned for coverage of the band’s set at Just Like Heaven Festival in May. Check out the full photo gallery from the first of two nights at Terminal 5 below.
