Air delivered a stunning show at Southampton Summer Sessions on Thursday night. The French duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel were showered with applause and cheers throughout their 90-minute setlist in Guildhall Square that seamlessly blended electronic, space pop, and progressive rock genres of music . Having released their debut album Moon Safari in 1998, Air – an acronym for ‘amour, imagination, and rêve’ – meaning ‘love, imagination, and dreaming,’ have gained an international reputation for their unique sound, with each song different from the next.
The band opened their Summer Sessions gig with the instrumental interlude La femme d’argent, which sounded more like a film soundtrack as the group switched between vocal and non-vocal songs. READ MORE: Placebo deliver unforgettable night at Southampton Summer Sessions Going on to perform popular records within the band’s discography – Sexy Boy, You Make It Easy, and Alone in Kyoto, Air are perhaps comparable with English duo Pet Shop Boys, for their distinctive synth sound. Much of the setlist comprised of instrumental songs, that you can visualise hearing in a bar late at night as soft jazz fills the background the noise – which is meant as a compliment – almost dreamy in nature and easy to listen to.
This is in part as the music only made up for half of the show, with dazzling light sequences, imagery on the big screen, and even a smoke machine adding to the concert-going experience. Guil.