When Superfood jumped back in front of the camera with ‘Double Dutch’, it felt like a daring voyage into something new – taking a huge step from the shimmering panoramic indie that made their name and instead shifting focus to something undeniably fresh. The pay-off, in second album ‘Bambino’, is nothing short of seismic. Almost feeling like a completely new band making its first steps all over again, there was even a discussion as to whether they’d keep their name. Tonight, slap-bang in the middle of a city that thrives on a cross-section of contradictory elements, Superfood find their home. It’s a glorious fun-soaked ride into one of the most jaw-dropping returns of the year – and Christ, it feels like a band only just getting started.
Like a carnival party-popper going off with a bang, the chopping beats of ‘Where The Bass Amp?’ herald a welcoming that comes with a band delivering such a rich and instantly vivid soundtrack for a year that has oh too easily dipped into grey. Smiles beam across The Garage, both from those throwing themselves into every wholesome chunk and from a band who finally feel free. The sways of ‘Clo Park’ and the shuffling breakdowns of ‘Unstoppable’ are greeted with hysteria, welcomed like old friends. It’s that which makes tonight reach another level – Superfood clicking on how to balance the expansive vibes of ‘Bambino’ with that singalong fizz that came with debut album ‘Don’t Say That’.
A measured take on oldie ‘Right On Satellite’ has heads thrown upwards, while the likes of ‘Bubbles’, ‘TV’ and ‘You Can Believe’ all hit with such a power that it does you a dizzy one. Yet it’s how they sit alongside Superfood’s new vision that makes it all together the most exciting. A platter of chopped, twisted and morphed hooks, it’s elevated to a beefier level live with ‘Need A Little Spider’, ‘Natural Supersoul’ and ‘Raindance’ all highlighting a different bow to Superfood’s many talents, while maintaining that lightning bolt of electricity. As Dom and Ryan pour out the mass calls of ‘I Can’t See’, they look out to an audience flinging their arms in the air in unison, treating the moment as if it’s the Knebworth crowning snapshot of people all gathering to witness something special and undeniably real.
As bodies bounce through self-titled closer ‘Superfood’, there’s one overriding emotion. What Superfood are doing is on another plane, one that takes all that energy and serves it through a megaphone that no longer forces them to be something they’re not. By embracing the music they’ve always wanted to make, they’ve found that the golden ticket was there all along. It makes Superfood one of the most exciting bands in the country, as the cut and copy world they’ve created firmly slots into place for one unbelievable jigsaw. Reinvention has never sounded so vibrant.