Arcade Fire played their album Funeral in its entirety at Malahide Castle. Photo: David Jensen/PA. There is nothing new about bands honouring a beloved old album in concert by playing it from start to finish, but even those jaded by the conceit may give Arcade Fire a free pass.
After all, their debut, Funeral, is one of the milestone releases of the 2000s, an album that ushered in a slew of fellow Canadian bands as well as giving licence to all manner of acts to throw chamber pop and baroque stylings into their music. Twenty-odd years on from its release and its power and mystery hasn’t waned one bit. Dressed in the sort of playfully formal attire that one might encounter at a posh masked ball, the band — with a string quartet in tow — devote the first half to Funeral.
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