While Incubus’ ‘Morning View’ might have been overshadowed by some of 2001’s more iconic releases, it stands as a snapshot of a moment in time for both the band and us. It’s also an album that fundamentally deserves a renaissance, and it seems that time has finally come. After a re-recording with Incubus’ new lineup last year as ‘Morning View XXIII’, it now gets it’s moment in the biggest of spotlights in London at Incubus’ only UK appearance this year. In a show of two halves, we celebrate the best of Incubus’ past and present, with an intriguing glimpse into the future thrown in for good measure.
Brandon Boyd strolls onstage casually into an angelic pool of light, backed by the record scratches that kick off ‘Nice To Know You’. Time hasn’t altered the power of ‘Morning View’, the record that grabbed us with its deliberately constructed streams of consciousness two decades ago, and a slightly more lo-fi take drags the experience out of our memories and into this present day arena evening. We’re not in for a pit show tonight, but a show to contemplate what matters to us, with as much of a headbang as we can manage without the stereotypical millennial back pain kicking in. ‘Circles’ hits with almost Red Hot Chill Peppers levels of bass slap courtesy of newest addition Nicole Row, and suddenly we’re jumping, phones in hand, as the realisation dawns that we’re watching Incubus perform ‘Wish You Were Here’. It feels like the real opener to their set, Boyd’s vocals languid and sincere, as we’re bathed in the bursting sunlight of the first time we heard this song.
The question of how to make a “we’re playing the full album” show unique in some way is a tricky one, but Incubus go for the simplest option. Perched by the drum kit, guitarist Mike Einziger, Boyd and Row fill the arena with warmth for an acoustic rendition of ‘Blood On The Ground’, a move that shrinks The O2 into a spontaneous session on the beach with friends. These little touches mean so much, whether it’s Boyd’s slipping into Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ during ‘Under My Umbrella’ or Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’ halfway through ‘Are You In?’. ‘Morning View’, much like Incubus themselves, is not presented as a static relic, but rather as an idea which can grow and change as much as we have.
As if we weren’t already convinced that Incubus still have the elusive “it” factor, we’re barely able to let the enormity of finally hearing our teenage favourite record sink in before they travel forward in time to update us on the highlights from the intervening years. ‘Anna Molly’ jolts us with a glitching darkness that ‘Morning View’ was too early for, and the fire alarm weirdness of ‘The Warmth’, packed with Boyd’s exploding, imploring vocals, echoes out into lightning guitar chords. Organically and sonically expanding like coral, ‘Pardon Me’ and its free flowing vocals and rock energy pound home the message that Incubus are still more than happy to bang out a very impressive stadium show. It’s the semi-acoustic form of ‘Drive’ that really hits. The band sit close together at the front of the dim stage, animated and reassuring, our singalong expanding their cosy scene until it fills the vast space. Boyd whistles sweetly between dark, mature bars and we really believe, just for a second, his heartwarming message is for each and every one of us personally.
A simple graphic and QR code hover onscreen as we file out. ‘Something In The Water’, Incubus’ next album, has a name and a tentative release date for this year, presented humbly and subtly to tonight’s crowd as a reward for sticking with them. For a band whose work has always been that tiny bit smarter and more esoteric than their peers, dropping the news of the their first release for eight years as a single, easily missed image, feels on brand. ‘Morning View’ is the kind of album that represents a specific time and place in our hearts, the kind of record that takes you back to a moment you might easily have forgotten until you hear their intro pull you back. Tonight serves as a much needed reminder that even though we’ve all grown since it’s release, Incubus and ‘Morning View’ are capable of evolving with us.
KATE ALLVEY
