Hot on the heels of their Grammy win for Best Dance Recording earlier this month, Justice continue their world tour in support of fourth LP ‘Hyperdrama’ with two nights at Alexandra Palace this week. It marks the duo’s first headline shows in the UK since 2017 and right out of the gate it’s clear that Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Auge are here to deliver the goods. A meticulous showcase of their ability to embellish beloved anthems with recent material, it’s a testament to Justice’s versatility that two decades and four studio albums in, they’re not content to merely stand back and wheel out the classics.

Opening with a pulsing rework of ‘Cross’ opener ‘Genesis’, the duo waste no time setting the stage for what’s to come: a spectacular, seamless mix of reworks and reconfigurations that recontextualise beloved tracks into intoxicating new shapes and forms. The usual staples are all there, of course – regular fixtures like breakthrough single ‘We Are Your Friends’ and the likes of ‘D.A.N.C.E.’ and ‘Stress’ are all present and correct – but the ways that de Rosnay and Auge integrate them and continue to keep fans guessing is the real draw here.

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As is to be expected, many of ‘Hyperdrama’s standout tracks serve as key focal points. A reimagining of album standout ‘Mannequin Love’, a collaboration with UK upstarts The Flints who provide excellent support on both nights, serves as a blistering new vessel for the vocals of ‘We Are Your Friends’. Elsewhere, Uffie’s punchy vocal showcase from ‘Tthhee Ppaarrttyy’ – a ‘Cross’ era track long absent from the duo’s live rotation – segues into ‘Hyperdrama’ lead single ‘One Night/All Night’, to great effect. The likes of ‘Helix’ and ‘Civilization’, tracks from the duo’s often overlooked sophomore album, ‘Audio, Video, Disco’ are revisited during the encore, while ‘D.A.N.C.E.’ is reimagined as an emotive, melancholic slow burn. ‘Cross’ standout ‘Stress’ remains a show-stopping third-act focal point too, with its chaotic siren-like whir and frantic swirling red spotlights remaining the essential live moment in which the duo repeatedly up the ante. It’s impossible to imagine a Justice set without it.

‘Neverender’ meanwhile continues to cement itself as an integral part of the Justice canon, appearing in several different iterations throughout the set. Its first – the extended cut that recently nabbed the duo their third Grammy win – is played in its entirety before the vocal talents of Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker pave the way for ‘Woman’ opener ‘Safe and Sound’s vocals to shine once more. The latter song acted as a backbone of sorts for the duo’s previous live album, ‘Woman Worldwide’, and with the two tracks presented together here in such jubilant fashion it’s hard to imagine one existing without the other in a live configuration going forward.

Justice aren’t exhibitionists in the traditional sense. When it comes to delivering big, stand-out dance floor drops, their showmanship cannot be understated, but it’s the lights that do much of the heavy lifting here. The show is underpinned by the spectacular visual flair of lighting designer Vincent Lerisson, whose jaw-dropping configuration of rigs and spotlights swoop around the stage in balletic fashion, replete with staccato blasts of light and colour. The duo’s iconic cross emblem is present too, of course, rendered here in sparkling LEDs to a rapturous reception from the crowd. It’s the music that does the talking, of course, but after seeing the duo perform in their current configuration it’s damn nigh impossible to imagine them touring this material with any other visual accompaniment. 

All in all, no one else does a live show quite like this. Newcomers will doubtless be floored by the visual spectacle of it all, while returning fans will be rewarded with reconfigured classics and new favourites. Roll on the live album.

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Words: Paul Weedon
Photo Credit: Alex Crane