TV on the Radio returned to Melbourne for a masterclass in art rock intensity.
The Brooklyn outfit’s Monday night performance at the Forum Theatre drew from across their catalogue, spanning 2004’s Young Liars EP through to 2014’s Seeds. For a band whose influence far outweighs their commercial profile, TV on the Radio remain one of the most technically adventurous acts to emerge from the American indie scene this century. Their Melbourne set proved why.
Few bands have so successfully merged post-punk urgency with doo-wop harmonies (the most surprising part of their live show), electronic textures and jazz-inflected arrangements. Frontman Tunde Adebimpe’s voice – capable of moving from a tender falsetto to a guttural howl within a single phrase – anchored a performance that refused to settle into predictability.
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The setlist leaned heavily on Dear Science, the 2008 album that remains their creative peak. Golden Age opened with its brass fanfare and built into the kind of euphoric crescendo that defined that record’s ambition. Dancing Choose and DLZ followed, the latter’s menacing bassline and ominous atmosphere demonstrating the band’s ability to craft tension without sacrificing groove.
Wolf Like Me, their signature track, landed mid-set with all the ferocity the song demands. Built around a relentless motorik beat and Kyp Malone’s serrated guitar work, it’s a song that sounds like it’s perpetually on the verge of collapse – held together by sheer momentum and Adebimpe’s howled vocals. Live, it remains devastating and garnered the only crowd reaction of the night that lived up to what they deserved. At the very beginning, Tunde explained that their shows are an ‘energy exchange’ but the Monday night Forum crowd didn’t quite live up to their part of the bargain.
The technical sophistication of TV on the Radio’s arrangements sets them apart from their peers. Dave Sitek’s production approach – layering distorted synths over live drums, weaving samples through organic instrumentation – translates surprisingly well to the stage. Province, originally featuring David Bowie on backing vocals, retained its haunting beauty, while Halfway Home showcased the rhythmic complexity that underpins even their most accessible material.
The encore brought the evening’s emotional peak with Killer Crane, incorporating elements of Ambulance in a medley that highlighted the band’s willingness to deconstruct their own catalogue. Trouble followed with a playful tease of Too Short’s Blow the Whistle, before Staring at the Sun took things home.
20 years since their debut, TV on the Radio’s legacy sits somewhere between critical darling and cult favourite. They never achieved the mainstream breakthrough their talent warranted, but their fingerprints are all over the past two decades of adventurous guitar music. Monday night at the Forum was a reminder that some bands are built to endure on their own terms.
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