Classic electro from one of the fore-fathers.
Given that they were synonymous with the rise of music video, it was no great surprise that Devo were welcomed onstage by a lengthy introduction video, outlining some of the bands Devolutionary Oath and many of their video clips.
When they arrived onstage, it was strange to see the band, all in their mid-fifties (except the drummer) wearing the same boiler suit and helmet outfit they had in the 1970s. For a band who are mainly known by their videos, it was strange to realise that they had aged, the power of the video medium burning such a lasting impression that it was hard to picture Devo in any way other than their cinematic prime.
If the sight of the band took a few moments to readjust to, the music was on the spot from the off with a cyclical electronic riff reverberating around the Academy immediately and the crowd, varying in age and fashion, welcomed the returning act.
Whilst being familiar with some of the output of the band, there were certainly a few gaps in this writers knowledge of the band but thankfully, most of the set-list sounded familiar. Three songs in and 'Peek-A-Boo' was met with a rapturous welcome and the band started throwing in moves and shapes to accompany their music. This track has always been a favourite; it has simplicity, borrowing heavily from the childhood game but the of its time electro squeal positively encourages the listener to interact fully.
Surprisingly there was no video sequences throughout the show but there was still major choreography as part of the night. Every robotic shift of the guitarists or synchornised jump was timed to perfection and when Mark Mothersbaugh started tearing at his bandmates boiler suits, it was obvious they would not survive the night. That was to prophetic as long before the encore the whole band were down to a T-shirt, shorts and kneepads. As already mentioned, the band are in their fifties by now and this isn't something many men of that age would do, not even if they were rockers.
And with the biggest band of aging rockers surely being The Rolling Stones, there was a link through Devo's cover of 'I Cant Get No (Satisfaction)', the feel of the original remains and its anti-establishment feel prevails but musically comes from a different planet. The jagged and jerky rhythm coupled with the stuttering vocal delivery raises the bar from The Stones version and manages to capture the sound of the affected youth; thankfully both bands still play the song today even though they could well be the grandparents of todays affected youth.
As the set continued, the spectacle remained high with guitarist Mark Mothersbaugh deliberately snapping some strings as his soloing went to extremes. With the perennial favourite 'Jocko Homo' indulging the bands extended workouts and the fan favourite call-out "Are we not men? We are Devo!" filling out a main part of the show before the encore, it was pretty obvious that the crowd had gotten what they wanted.
When during the encore, Mark returned in his Booji Boy get up, a quite frankly disturbing outfit completed with a mask of a small child and a high-pitched voice for a version of 'Beautiful World', it allowed the band to not only end the night in style but to thank the crowd. It had been a long time since Devo had been around these parts but although time may had altered the bands look, there appeared to be little change to their outlook or output. They're not men, they're still Devo and their music still resonates today.