Making the transition from Brixton Academy to Wembley Arena is obviously harder than it looks. Incubus sound like a world-conquering band but, at first, look like tourists in awe of their surroundings. They shouldn't be overwhelmed, their unrelenting hard work over a ten-year period has finally put them in this enviable position. Tonight was a sell out months ago.
Opening the show with 'Circles' and 'Nice to Know You', from the outstanding album 'Morning View', pin-up singer Brandon Boyd, like a more affable and laid back Eddie Vedder, is everything the audience demands. Considering he's fronting a pretty non-descript band, Boyd makes up for his colleagues' aesthetic failings, effortlessly emitting style as he strides around the arena stage. Once comfortable, he makes use of the space to unleash the full force of his energetic showmanship working the crowd from side to side in the mould of a Bono or Dave Gahan.
Despite the intensity of the music, the nagging suspicion remains that this is, in fact, a pop gig rather than a rock fest. But the ladies aren't complaining, screaming and fainting as if in the presence of Elvis in his prime. Brandon laps it up, and has the time of his life, wisecracking and joking around.
His voice ain't too bad either, shining on the epic sounding tracks 'Wish You Were Here', 'Stellar' and 'Drive', simultaneously filling the arena with its syrupy resonance and the audience with the kind of rushing sensations reserved for a very few special acts. The songs are tight and the band flawlessly professional, their interplay occasionally breathtaking.
Playing a number of songs from second album 'S.C.I.E.N.C.E.' including 'Glass', 'New Skin' and 'Nebula', it's easy to see how they've grown since that album's release over four years ago. Particularly of note is the added dimension that DJ Kilmore has given them since joining before 1999's 'Make Yourself'. Live, he provides a secondary focus, his nicely pitched turntabalism easing effortlessly into the Incubus sound.
When the night ends with the awesome 'Pardon Me', the abrupt absence of this huge coruscating sound leaves us craving more. Still, Incubus have work to do elsewhere, and with a hefty toot on the digeridoo, they're away to continue what they've started.
'Make Yourself', indeed.
