Don’t tell the residents’ association we said so, but it’s a fairly ordinary February evening in the arguably less glamorous end of Islington.
There is a drizzle in the air and a bleakness all around as we yearn for March, with the Easter bunny dancing in his denim dungarees, shaking his big bunny stick and wildly moving around the gently warming asphalt. Oh, give us a tiny fluffy chick, Easter bunny! Shake your big tufty tail for us…
Hold tight, what’s this? An abrupt siren from an old-school fire-drill-style loudhailer heralds four white boiler-suited performers and one orange-suited one onto the stage at The Lexington, Islington, and the evening suddenly explodes with raw energy.
...this potent blend left us buzzing with adrenaline in an orgasmically cosmic way"
Startlingly red, captivating visuals in the form of numerous pole lights dotted around the stage changed color throughout, as songwriter, bass player, and singer Ben Robinson led this eclectic electronic collaboration. Simon Robinson on drums and Adrian Ingham on guitar were joined by saxophonist Elara and blues harp aficionado Ollie Brown. One might describe the sound as urgent, frantic, and gritty as Hello Cosmos began their poetic, post-punk impassioned set. The beat was fast, furious, and the heavy guitar riffs relentless in their intensity as the harmonica’s mournful voice swelled above the complex soundscape.
In their own words, they have created a world “so full of colour, it’s so full of life”
With the stage now bathed in green, the next song intensifies and enhances the emerging atmosphere. The saxophone soars atop the pulsating vitality of drums, electronic melody, and guitar riffs. An ostinato of an unusual chord progression (I, VII, VI for anyone interested) gives the music unrestrained power, reckless abandon, and a futuristic feel. The Lexington has become its own pocket of space in an alternate reality.
Lights flash bitter orange as the band begins “Run for President”, its ominous ascending chromatics giving way to a classic rock beat. Hello Cosmos has a magnetic presence as they thrash about the stage, strobes strobing, saxophones and guitars building an exciting crescendo…
Ollie, the orange-clad harmonica player, rejoins the band for the finale, ‘Let Love be the Island Upon Which we Stand’. A melancholic blues riff plaintively calls to the appreciative audience, before climbing scales on bass and a fast beat build to a heart-racingly good climax. Guitar and saxophone riff wildly over the top of this visceral sound and Ben clasps his hands around the mic, as if in prayer. The lyrics are pure poetry now- everyone is playing in a chaotic and frenzied cacophony and it truly is an all-consuming, euphoric experience to be in The Lexington tonight. In their own words, they have created a world “so full of colour, it’s so full of life”.
This set was a musical experience of intergalactic proportions—a transformative and otherworldly sonic soundscape that surely captured the hearts and minds of those lucky enough to experience it tonight. As the final chords rang out and the repeated phrase ‘Let love be the island’ echoed and reverberated in conjunction with the mesmeric lights, this potent blend left us buzzing with adrenaline in an orgasmically cosmic way.
HELLO COSMOS played The Lexington February 28th 2024
