Following the release of his mini-LP on August 7th, Mac DeMarco takes to the stage for the first of his two sold out gigs at Camden’s Roundhouse. Contrary to the Mac of old, this show is refined and sophisticated and is notably lacking any crude acts involving drumsticks.
The melancholy direction that his new material is heading in is complemented by this, and rather than buzzing with fraught moshpit energy, the crowd is as laid back as his earlier albums.
‘Salad Days’ … evokes an expectedly enthusiastic response from an expectedly enthusiastic young audience
Possessed by an otherworldy aura of calmness, Mac opens the show with a rendition of ‘The Way You’d Love Her’. As bitter as it is sweet, it signifies a slight departure from his previous three albums but with a familiar nod to the love-filled anecdotes so particular to his slouchy lyrical style. ‘Salad Days’ follows and evokes an expectedly enthusiastic response from an expectedly enthusiastic young audience.
Accompanied by bassist, keyboard player and guitarist, the quartet keep up a stream of nonsensical chatter throughout, only broken by the keyboard player’s serene crowd surfing towards the end of the set. At one point, he and bassist Pierce McGarry swap guitars by flinging them through the air to each other. So far, so uplifting.
It’s not difficult to see why his adoring fan base required this extra date at such an iconic venue
After playing his new EP in full, Mac finishes the set on a nostalgic note with an augmented version of ‘Still Together’ from his 2012 album 2. It seems an appropriately sentimental end to an extremely well executed set. He somewhat overestimates the crowd’s combined strength, however, and his attempt at crowdsurfing falls short after only a brief stint in the air.
Nonetheless, his stoner guitar-pop crown is still firmly in place, and it’s not difficult to see why his adoring fan base required this extra date at such an iconic venue.
Anna Hand
