By Matt Kelchner
Mondays can be a bit of a drag. Whether it’s the beginning of another week of work or school, it somehow always takes just that much more to get up and make it through the day. To help with these perils, AlunaGeorge swung by Union Transfer to deliver a jolt of energy to last the rest of the week. The British pop group came to town while on their current tour to churn out hits and show off a few new tracks.
Australian house producer Roland Tings opened the night. Playing through a mix that built up beat after beat, the crowd warmed up their dancing shoes with the help of the overseas artist who had just linked up with AlunaGeorge for a string of shows from Washington, DC up to Toronto.
Australian house producer Roland Tings opens the night. All photos by Matt Kelchner
After a speedy stage changeover, there was an unusually lengthy wait until AlunaGeorge came out to greet their fans. Later in the night after everything was all said and done, the group tweeted out that the wait was due to the group receiving bad news prior to the show. But all that was impossible to tell judging from the way they rocked it onstage.
AlunaGeorge is made up of equal parts singer Aluna Francis and producer George Reid. On tour, though, it’s just Francis along with a keyboardist/beat maker and live drummer. For this US tour, Reid decided to stay back in the studios in London to work on their much-anticipated upcoming sophomore release. AlunaGeorge’s unique blend of house, pop and 90s-influenced R&B has always translated well when on stage, even with half of the group thousands of miles away. After months and months of touring behind their incredible album, Body Music, AlunaGeorge seemed tighter than ever Monday night.
Aluna Francis showcases her vocal skills at Union Transfer. Photo by Matt Kelchner
Despite having a slightly shortened set due to their delay, AlunaGeorge did not skimp on hits and crowd favorites. Tracks like “Best Be Believing” and “Attracting Flies” made their way into the setlist and received roars from the audience. The group also played a number of their collaborations, including “White Noise” (originally done with Disclosure) and “Automatic” (originally with Zhu).
They also gave the crowd a taste of things to come with two songs off their upcoming album that were filled with huge sounding, hard-hitting horn lines paired with even bigger-sounding beats. If you’re curious as to what’s up ahead from the British duo, get ready, because they’re taking things to a completely different level.
The night ended with their always-fantastic cover of “This Is How We Do It” followed up with DJ Snake’s remix of “You Know You Like It”. After a short break, they returned to the stage for an encore that comprised of “Your Drums, Your Love” that Francis dedicated to her grandmother.
With their recent signing to Interscope Records and new album around the corner, it doesn’t seem like AlunaGeorge will be slowing down anytime soon. They have already proven themselves on the festival circuit and now headlining their own tours. It’s only a matter of time before we see what the next chapter has in store for Aluna Francis and George Reid.
