Bittersweet. It was always going to be bittersweet; but witnessing the unbridled love directed towards the stage at the Olympia Theatre tonight, it also seems downright sad.
Wild Beasts are here tonight to play the first of their final three gigs before splitting up after 16 years of making some of the most compelling indie and alternative pop music of their generation – it's no exaggeration to call them one of the most unique British bands that have ever played together. Indeed, the fact that the Lake District quartet have bothered to add an Irish date to their brief swansong run is undoubtedly welcomed by their Irish audience, who have come to bear witness one last time without having to scramble for a cheap flight to Manchester or London.
Lanky-limbed Hayden Thorpe and his bandmates take the stage at 8.30pm and breeze through what is essentially a Greatest Hits setlist. The delicate build of Two Dancers' The Fun Powder Plot is at odds with the gritty, synth-led menace of later tracks like Wanderlust, Big Cat and Alpha Female. The soft canter of Smother's Reach a Bit Further and Loop the Loop highlight the enduring idiosyncrasies of Thorpe's voice and how perfectly it accompanies Tom Fleming's swarthy growl. Mecca is a soaring highlight, and after an hour they depart the stage before returning several minutes later – bur rather than a brief encore, another whole hour of songs follow.
Thorpe tiptoes to the front of the stage for Lion's Share, the crowd roaring the hymnal refrain back, and appears overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. He later jumps into the pit, where fans take turns embracing him, effectively thanking him and his bandmates for their years of service. After a euphoric Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants and rapturous All the King's Men rightfully earns one of several standing ovations, he looks genuinely emotional but holds it together long enough for the prolonged synthy judder of thunderous closer End Come Too Soon.
There may never be another band like them, but tonight, at least we have had the privilege of seeing them bow out at the top of their game. So long, you wild, wonderful weirdos.