Review: Caravan Palace @ O2 Forum 15/12/15


I am  a huge electro swing fan, and so I came in to this gig with high expectations, and yet somehow Caravan Palace exceeded them all. The O2 Forum was filled with folks dressed up, looking glamorous and itching to move their dancing feet as soon as possible.

JFTH warmed the crowd up with a 30 minute DJ set that featured floor filling a few floor fillers from the likes of Fat Boy Slim and some cheeky samples too (the South Park theme was a bit of a favourite). When 9pm rolled around everyone was ready for the main event, and we were truly blown away.

Exploding on to the stage they played a full range of their hits, from the older ‘gypsy jazz’ influenced sounds of Jolie Coquine and Suzy to the floor smashing bass driven beasts that are Lone Digger and Comics.

It’s beautiful to behold, and nobody manages to pull off the blend of 1930s-40s big band swing and modern electro quite like them. Stage presence is always extremely important at a live show, and here they really excelled above similar acts such as Parov Stelar, creating an infectious atmosphere that had everyone shuffling and pulling shapes.

If robots destroyed humanity and then tried to reproduce our historical music collections then Caravan Palace is what the end result would be. It’s infectious, gripping and incredibly fun to dance to. There is no one here judging your dance moves, the band attract fans who leave inhibitions at the door and just move their feet and arms to the music, the way it should be.

Verdict: If your friend invites you to go, then go. If they don’t then buy tickets and invite them to go. It will be the most fun you have had in a long time. If you like this then I recommend checking out The Correspondents.