Iceage at The Academy 2 on the 22nd of November 2012

Danish punks, Iceage landed in Ireland just days after signing to record label Matador for their second album. They’ve put a February release date on the follow-up to their hugely successful debut ‘New Brigade’. This Dublin gig is part of a hectic UK and Ireland tour.

When the band come on stage, frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt scowled at the crowd to a backdrop of howling feedback, before the band launched into their setlist, comprising mainly of new songs. The crowd didn’t really seem to connect with these new tracks, most of them being heard for the first time, and the atmosphere was a bit flat throughout. This didn’t seem to bother Rønnenfelt though who was utterly mesmerising, prowling the stage like a caged animal, with a look of disdain on his face. At one point he charged into the audience, damaging the microphone and resulting in a five-minute hold up while the problem was fixed. The songs themselves bore a distinctive style; a slow, atmospheric start, before an intense burst of raw energy, lasting only seconds before a breakdown and a return to the riotous noise. While this formula suits the band well, it can cause some tracks to sound similar, especially when being heard for the first time.

The band took a few songs to really hit their stride, mainly due to Rønnenfelt’s stage presence being restricted by playing guitar. While the extra boost in sound benefits a track like New Brigade, the band seem much more at ease when Rønnenfelt puts down the instrument and focuses on his singing. Towards the end of their set the band had relaxed, and the thundering drums and moody bass lines force the distorted squeals and wild shouts into a strict rhythm, and last song You’re Blessed is the band’s best performance of the night.

Iceage injected something new into the classic punk framework on their 2011 debut, making it darker and somehow more exotic. Based on the evidence here, the new album promises to deliver much of the same. Their performance was an enjoyable one, Rønnenfelt oozes charisma, but the crowd would have appreciated a few older, more familiar tracks to respond to. However, Iceage have confirmed that they remain one of the most exciting, and different, bands around.