Steroids Fuel LCD Soundsystem at London's Alexandra Palace

It may well have been billed as a co-headliner, but LCD Soundsystem proved Hot Chip's were defintiely in second place as the two dance outfits brought the beats to London's Alexandra Palace on Wednesday, Nov. 10. Sharing a geek-like sensibility and an unabashed desire and ability to create mayhem on the dancefloor, LCD Soundsystem won out courtesy of a set that was fuelled by a sense of urgency and, in the case of frontman James Murphy, steroids.

Having powered through opener, 'Dance Yrself Clean,' the singer revealed that he'd lost his voice during the European leg of the tour and that medication was the order of the day to get him though the show. And, if the rumours of the band's impending retirement are true, there was a sense of a band ensuring that its swansong was focused more on celebration than commiseration.

So it was that 'I Can Change' and 'Tribulations' added to the joy as elsewhere, 'Daft Punk Is Playing at My House' proved to be an early highlight, and set the agenda for what was to come.

Hot Chip's earlier set was by no means underwhelming -- how could it be with the likes of 'Over and Over' and 'One Life Stand' in their arsenal -- but compared to LCD Soundsystems's more streamlined and sleek execution, the Londoners felt slightly underwhelming. But if there is to be an LCD Soundsystem-sized gap left at the end of the year then Hot Chip will certainly make a fine fist of trying to fill it.