Joshua Angrave sees Edinburgh Castle's esplanade play host to Arcade Fire

Performances at the Castle are a rarity for Edinburgh’s music scene, with shows few and far between, often only reserved for the most traditional of events, such as the Military Tattoo.  This made for an altogether eagerly anticipated start to September, with Arcade Fire’s surprise slot in the Castle’s calendar.

A special unannounced support act on offer, and hope was rife that Beirut and Mumford and Sons might make appearances. Unlike the earlier UK date in Hyde Park however, support came from The Walkmen, who provided ample replacement, if not to a slightly tepid audience.

The atmosphere slowly built, as dusk fell over the castle to reveal fire lit torches strewn across the towering walls. Below in the esplanade, all eyes were focussed on the assembling stage, as the multi-instrumental ensemble of Arcade Fire’s setup emerged amidst a towering screen.

With the stage-encircling seats, and standing section full to a sold out capacity, the lights went out, and an old style movie reel flashed up on the back screen, before segments of short film kicked in. This saw a snippet of cult classic The Warriors prime the onlookers before the familiar string section of 'The Suburbs (continued)' started up, and the shot switched to the suburban scene of American boys on push bikes.

Grabbing the eager attention of all, the band took to the stage, flying into 'Ready To Start', off the third - Grammy award winning - album, The Suburbs, to which the camera shots on screen were based, taken from Spike Jonze’s companion film, Scenes From The Suburbs. These created an all-round powerful effect, for as good as the songs were, it was refreshing to hear the live sound of the band alongside the visuals of the short film sequences.

Following on from 'Ready To Start', the visuals took the audience through the perspective of a moving car, as it journeyed along the American road to 'Keep The Car Running', and of course 'No Cars Go'; whilst up on screen, day turned to night, and the headlights of the car flashed into the unforeseeable distance, bringing everyone out of their seats.

Pausing poignantly for the next song, Haiti, the band’s French Canadian routes spilled onto stage, with Win Butler relating the song's origins to Napoleon’s nineteenth century invasions. This provided sombre tones, as Chassagne sung her elegy to her lost homeland, reminding us of the gig’s charitable cause for the tragic earthquake appeal.

The mellowed down Rococo followed with its heartfelt strings, and distorted bass, before the newly released 'Speaking in Tongues' was tested on the crowds. This made for a small hiatus, with much of the seated audience taking the time to break between the imminent build to the heights of Funeral’s hits 'Wake Up' and 'Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)'.

The stunning visuals remained, as 'Intervention' revealed shimmering organ pipes on screen, complementing the song's reverent feel, with its choral backing vocals and French horns. This was to be the last song off Neon Bible, as the band swapped between The Suburbs’ remaining few, and Funeral’s favourites. 'Neighbourhood #3 (Tunnels)', and an expectant, breath-taking encore of 'Neighbourhood #2 (Power Out)' and 'Rebellion (Lies)' made for the most impressive numbers.

They were to prove themselves worthy visitors to the Castle’s battlements, if not solely for their multi instrumental talents as a seven piece, which saw them continuously rotate, with Chassange’s hurdy gurdy, on 'Keep The Car Running', to her accordion on 'Neighbourhood #2'. The set closer, 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)', just before the encore, similarly demonstrated the band’s versatility, as the electronic textures of italo-disco keys spoke volumes of their musical exploration.

Arcade Fire have always been forward thinking in their approach to technology in music, as with their collaboration with Chris Milk on the first ever interactive music video with, 'We Used To Wait / The Wilderness', and the show resonated with this visually, as they successfully sought to provide the full live musical experience. To cap it all off, with the last bow from the band came a firing salute from behind the castle walls in true prestigious pomp style.