Passion Pit

In the two years that Passion Pit have been a band, fame has come quickly to them, and in a set that was riddled with technical difficulties at Newcastle's Northumbria University, the band showed to a sell out crowd exactly why they've risen to stardom so quickly.

It was only a year ago last month that the 5 piece Massachusetts band released their debut EP 'Chunk of Change', and it was this that landed the band a slot at the CMJ Marathon in New York, at which they were declared 'top band'.

Following this, hype began to grow, especially around the track 'Sleepyhead', and after the band were placed in the BBC's 'Sound of 2009 list', it really kicked off on both sides of the Atlantic.

The band's first full length album, 'Manners', was released in May of this year, and since then have played the majority of the UK's major festivals, including Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, at which they drew all the plaudits, packing out the tents all and drawing legions of fans to watch them.

Their sound could be described as indie-electro, crossing guitars and soothing vocals, over synthesizers and samples, and drum machine style beats. It proves to be a winning combination, and their Newcastle show certainly got the crowd going.

Touring in support of their latest single 'Moth?s Wings', the band delivered a fantastic set, with highlights including 'Little Secrets' and 'To Kingdom Come'.

The band left the stage close to the end of their short hour long set to a lengthy break, to rectify technical problems that had affected their set throughout the night.

With the crowd growing reckless, the band returned, firstly performing 'Sleepyhead', which sound just as good to me as the first time I heard it. The crowd sung every line back to lead singer Michael Angelakos, and singing back every note of the synthesizer, and with a grin from ear to ear on every band member, all problems were then forgotten.

Closing their set with the first single from 'Manners', 'The Reeling', its chord stab synthesizers, and funky drum beat and matching bass really got the crowd dancing, and as with 'Sleepyhead' the crowd sung along to every word, and with the band dancing away, everybody was enjoying it.

The on-stage dancing is definitely a new thing for the band, as when I've seen the band previously, they look like cool college student nerds, shy, and with no real interaction with the audience. But this is a thing of the past, with the band showing a new confidence, and it certainly transcends into the audience, with everyone feeding off them.

Despite their quick rise to fame, it's clear that the band need to stay on top of their game with their second album, and with only a short 60 minute set, and the same set list for more than a year, they need to get that second one out quickly.

FUTURE GIGS

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