- The phenomenal rise of Disclosure has been something to behold. The UK duo journeyed to Mexico for the first time this month, lining up shows in the country's three principal cities: Monterrey, Mexico City and Guadalajara. The Friday night slot in the capital saw them play The Jose Cuervo Salon, a venue reserved for Mexico City's most prominent international guests (size-wise, think Brixton Academy in London or the Apollo in Manchester). Disclosure sold it out in a matter of hours, demonstrating just how far Guy and Howard Lawrence have come since playing Thursday night parties in dingy South London basements.
The show had been eagerly awaited around the city, and when Disclosure took the stage around 10 PM they were treated to a rapturous welcome. They delivered exactly what the crowd wanted, producing a highly polished, musically tight performance. The development of Disclosure's live set has been a gradual, though the recent introduction of live percussion and guitar has added a new dimension, allowing the brothers to weave together their chart-topping arsenal with greater ease and an increased sense of atmosphere.
Disclosure's music owes a lot to their work with various guest singers, and though the likes of Eliza Doolittle, Jessie Ware and Jamie Woon were all absent in Mexico, samples of their voices were woven well into the show, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. It was, unsurprisingly, the likes of "Latch" featuring Sam Smith, as well as AlunaGeorge's performance on "White Noise" that were the real crowd-pleasers that night. The sight of a thousand-plus Mexicans passionately singing along to every word was pretty incredible. These vocal-laden tracks were offset by some relatively heavier sounds, perhaps indicative of a move away from garage-inspired flavours to tougher, four-to-the-floor templates.
It was, all in all, an impressive outing from the Lawrences. If they're to work on anything, it would be on keeping energy levels up throughout the set: at times individual songs ran on for too long, creating occasional dips in atmosphere. Really though, I'm splitting hairs. This show clearly illuminated Disclosure's development as musicians, and was stark evidence of their rapidly growing global appeal.
Photo credits: Akaash Mora