I believe in live music.  A live performance should always exceed the pleasure of listening to albums at home or even through a pair of excellent new headphones walking down a sunny street in Barcelona, which is where I found myself hooked on the psychedelic prog pop ensemble Moodoïd last week.

Having gained recognition through the involvement of Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker in the production of their recently released EP, Moodoïd has embarked on a small tour of Western Europe.  The band’s London appearance at OhLaLA, a festival promoting up and coming French acts around the world (to the extent that headliners FAUST only communicated to the Village Underground audience en français) was an incredible sonic outburst of escalating intensity.

The drums cut straight through my bones, while the eerie vocals, reminicent of something out of a David Lynch film, grew stronger and stronger with the slow build-up of the songs, somehow enhancing the other instruments. The sudden break half way through ‘Je Suis La Montagne’, barely noticeable on record, was as perfectly executed as it was powerful. Live music should remind you that you’re alive and Moodoïd’s electric, yet casual, Monday performance certainly did. 

Moodoïd’s eponymous debut EP is out now on Les Disques Entreprise.