To give you context of my love for Maribou state, we have to go back to 2013. I had just started university and I was looking for music that could help me study. My mate suggested Bonobo: his music was beautiful, and helped get me in the zone to complete my essays.
Fast forward five years – I’m a music writer looking for similar music and thankfully, I stumble on Maribou State. Just like Bonobo, they fuse electronic dance with astute instrumentation and it truly captivates me. Following the release of their second album, Kingdoms in Colour, the Hertfordshire duo embarked on a string of 36 live shows, including a sold out UK/EU tour, and I’m lucky enough to get into their performance at London’s Roundhouse.
The first track is ‘Feel Good’, a collaboration with Houston-based trio Khruangbin. The audience goes hysterical. The feelgood vibe pulsates through the crowd, and then they bring out longtime pal Holly Walker for ‘Nervous Tics’. The synergy between her and the band is on another level, and the light effects go ballistic on this track too, creating a cacophony of sense stimulators. The room is vibrating with spiritual fire.
They know they have us in the palms of their hands and, with that, they end the show abruptly. We are left in dismay. Everyone is calling for them to return and eventually they strut back out to wild cheers to perform their final track ‘Midas’.
