The Guardian reviewed Welsh brothers Tom and Ed Russell's headline show at London's Old Royal Naval College, where the electronic duo deployed lasers and a grand historic setting to mark their second album release. The review argues that Overmono made the larger scale feel earned—not hollow or diluted—preserving the kinetic energy that defines their club sound.
Electronic music keeps recycling the same tired split: intimacy equals authenticity, scale equals sellout. That binary misses how dance culture has actually worked for decades. Big-stage acts shape how cities program venues, how festivals book talent, and how younger audiences first encounter club music. First contact shapes everything.
The purist complaint is ancient. Dance music does not owe gatekeepers a permanent small-room pose. Artists who translate club energy into a public event without sanding off the weird bits are doing something harder than staying niche. Overmono's moment matters because it signals the ceiling for this sound is higher than gatekeepers want to admit. The venue itself— Old Royal Naval College —tells you everything. Electronic music has moved into the architecture of institutional power, and that's a win.
Filed to the World desk · Yesterday