Shrill screams fill the O2 Academy Islington because the lights drop. It’s the primary time Marcus & Martinus have ever performed a headline London present and the thrill is palpable.
The Norwegian twins are solely 23 years outdated however, extremely, have been doing this for 13 years already. The We Are Not The Identical Tour is a celebration of the journey up to now, however simply as a lot a take a look at what remains to be to return.
A big portion of the 800-capacity venue are followers who’ve grown up with the Gunnarsen twins and it’s these followers who burst into music because the duo arrive on stage to 2018 hit ‘Like It Like It’ – Marcus sporting a Kobbie Mainoo England shirt in a nod to his love for Manchester United whereas a bandana-clad Martinus’ prime sparkles below a leather-based jacket.
That opener is taken from the criminally underrated Moments. An album that, even at such a younger age, noticed Marcus & Martinus hone in on their huge, Scandi-pop model – it’s a sound that matches their persona.
Whereas the twins’ sound has modified through the years, that longstanding honesty to their character makes for a timeless dwell present. The place some artists shrink back from older hits, the trademark Marcus & Martinus grins are ever-present all through Wednesday evening.
The tacky ‘Women’ is delivered with enthusiasm and the venue turns right into a frenzy for the timeless ‘Elektrisk’ – Marcus & Martinus have to do little greater than maintain the microphones out for that to go off with a bang.
Whereas the brothers embrace the outdated, it’s honest to say the newer materials is delivered with an additional swagger. ‘Love Circulate’ is maybe their greatest non-Eurovision launch of latest years with its forward-thinking electropop and viral TikTok choreography whereas ‘We Are Not The Identical’ boasts the duo’s raunchiest lyrics in a press release launch.
It won’t be essentially the most streamed, however the group’s greatest songwriting so far comes on ‘When All The Lights Go Out’. On that monitor, Marcus & Martinus sort out the unseen results of rising up within the highlight and its a hanging second of candour in an action-packed set.
Proceedings are slowed down for ‘Heartbeat’ and a canopy of ‘Depraved Recreation’, a nod to their Masked Swinger win in Sweden. Over that two music run, not that there was any doubt, it’s clear these boys can actually sing.
In addition to the followers who’ve grown up with Marcus & Martinus, additional again within the crowd are some older followers who’ve clearly discovered the duo because of their Eurovision success. In 2023, the brothers entered Melidofestivalen with ‘Air’, solely to be crushed by eventual Eurovision-winner Loreen.
The reality is, that music would most likely have gained the entire competitors that 12 months as effectively. Delivered at Mello in entrance of a sea of lasers, it packs simply as a lot punch with half the manufacturing in Islington.
Marcus & Martinus ultimately had their Eurovision second final 12 months with ‘Unforgettable’. That sultry quantity spirals right into a dancefloor filler and closes the evening with confidence.
It’s a real journey by means of the Marcus & Martinus songbook on Wednesday evening and, what’s much more spectacular after such a profession, is the sensation that is nonetheless a narrative being written.
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