Live Review: Moderat - Alexandra Palace, London 31/10/2022
After six years away from the stage, Moderat is reaffirming their success by packing Alexandra Palace in London.
As a quick recap, Moderat is formed by Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary of Modeselektor duo and Sascha Ring who is known as Apparat. The trio already had a hiatus back in 2003 after the release of their first EP. The issues they encountered during collaboration inspired the name of the project - Auf Kosten der Gesundheit (At the Cost of Health). Despite that, they decided to give it another shot in 2009 which gave birth to three more albums of the group. After these well-received pieces, Moderat announced another break in 2017, this time for an indefinite term. How delighted were the fans of the electronic trio to hear about their comeback in 2022 accompanied by the release of the fourth studio album More D4ta and live tour.
It was definitely the right choice to choose Alexandra Palace as the venue for Moderat's comeback in London. The moment the main room gets packed to its capacity the lights turn dark and the crowd starts cheering. Accompanied by the crispy sounds of the intro, three figures appear on stage. The night starts with the atmospheric flourishes and quick-hit drum pattern of ‘Reminder’ - a piece from the III (2016) album.
“It’s nice to see everyone. Really not used to that,” admits Sascha Ring while greeting the crowd, “appreciate having so many happy people in the room.”
Symbolically ‘MORE LOVE’ follows up - the first song of the night from the new album. Synth-soaked pop structures of Apparat, accompanied by Modeselektor's electro-heavy bass thrusts, fill the space with the distinctly fresh sound of More D4ta.
‘Animal Trails’, ’UNDO REDO’, and ‘Ghostmother’ are following up, gently balancing between the new style and well-known previous releases. The crowd seems to be warmed up and ready for the unquestionable signature of Moderat - ‘A New Error’. Slightly changing the modulations of sounds while playing live the trio gives a bright freshness to the well-known track. Seems like it only makes the listeners more excited for what’s coming next.
The smoke and dim light together with the abstract visuals in the background give the entire event area a truly dramatic feel. Take a look around and you’ll see numerous people with their eyes shut. Treat of lights, fog, and smoke gets the crowd fully immersed in the atmosphere of the night. A perfect setting, if you ask me, to dive into the fresh sound of the newly released More D4ta. A couple of other songs from albums of different times pop up including the remixed version of ‘Eating Hooks’ followed by ‘EASY PREY’. Finishing with ‘Bad Kingdom’ the trio ends the thrilling London show bowing to the crowd.
Moderat definitely didn’t let down the fans after a six-year wait. A carefully structured setlist made sure to bring the energy levels of the audience from the immersive meditative state to its pinnacle throughout the night. Lights together with the bold electronic beats vibrating through the people’s bodies created a truly transcendent experience for everybody. Now it’s only left to hope that the trio won’t take another break leaving its fans waiting for another couple of years for their loud return.
Words by Anastasiia Vinokur
