The Luminaire was just the right setting for a band of such prominence and for their first introduction to London - all the cool of a central location, a stone's throw from Camden, but without the crazed teenagers. Konstantin had hinted to the DMG that he was slightly worried about this one, being the first date and with a sick guitarist, but he needn't have worried.
There aren't many bands who sound remarkably better live than on record, but Get Well Soon, who are comprised of crashing drums, heavy electric guitar, a prominent violin, keyboard, acoustic guitar and even a trumpet, simply tore the place down.
Opening with the very recognisable 'Prelude', front man Konstantin transfixed the crowd. He held the room in his hands, briefly stopping for breath before launching into 'People Magazine Front Cover'. A lot of talk about changing the world came in some very politically-motivated numbers.
Musically, many comparisons have been made to Radiohead and Arcade Fire, but it's more like watching a young Matt Bellamy from Muse with pace and pitch changes, and it's also maybe not dissimilar to the likes of System Of A Down. The musical arrangement is absolutely spot on and meticulously planned, as one instrument fades into another - and another - and another.
After playing 'Listen Those That are Lost, Sing a Song on Christmas Day' (an anthem about a lost Russian submarine), came an unexpected highlight. After some crowd interaction about beer, Konstantin announced he was going to sing a song about English beer. What followed was a quirky reworking of Underworld's classic 'Born Slippy'. While the original could be described as a comedown song, imagine it being changed to actually reflect the sheer thumping pain of a hangover, mix in Konstantin's dreamy voice and you have 'Born Slippy Nuxx'.
The band really immerses you in their music. So unpredictable were their pace changes that even the die-hard fans started cheering and clapping before the end of one folk-driven number, only to realise they'd gone a bit too soon. Other notable numbers during the hour-long set included 'If This Hat is Missing' and 'Tick Tack Goes'.
Konstantin did return to encore with a brief acoustic number ('Your Teenage FBI'), a vivid story of a song ending with the line "I guess I just try to save the world". For a whole new generation of music fans, he may just do that.
Rating: 5/5