By: Brenna Mata
There was a particular kind of anticipation buzzing through Bayou Music Center on Thursday night, the kind that only builds when a city has been waiting years for a reunion. Houston last saw Disclosure live in 2016, and the energy leading up to their return on October 2nd felt like the calm before a really fun storm.
As Baalti warmed up the crowd with a steady flow of house tracks, fans started trickling in early, chatting with friends, grabbing drinks, and picking up merchandise. I even grabbed a hot dog and a Diet Coke from the concessions stand for dinner, because who wants to dance on an empty stomach? The floor slowly filled out, leaving just enough room for everyone to let loose before the room transformed into a full-on Disclosure dance floor.
Right at 9:30, the lights dropped and the crowd erupted. A giant LED screen behind the stage flickered with trippy visuals before cutting to a clip of Leven Kali hyping everyone up, shouting, “We got the one and only Disclosure in this mother f*cker tonight!” The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
As the intro of F for You began to build, white lights flashed across the crowd, bouncing off smiling faces and raised arms. The anticipation hit its peak just as the brothers walked on stage and dropped into the track, a decade-old fan favorite that instantly set the tone.
They rolled right into When a Fire Starts to Burn next, keeping that energy alive with its groovy bass line and hypnotic chorus that makes it nearly impossible to stand still. In that moment, it felt like everyone in the room remembered exactly why their live shows are so special.
Part of that comes from how they build their setup. Rather than standing behind turntables or relying on pre-programmed tracks, they play everything in real time. Their stage was lined with drum machines, synthesizers, MIDI controllers, and even a bass guitar. Both brothers switched between instruments throughout the set, controlling every drop and breakdown themselves, which made every track hit even harder.
From there, the set flowed between old favorites and newer tracks, each one met with the same kind of enthusiasm you only get from a crowd that truly knows the music. The brothers moved through songs like White Noise, Simply Won't Do, and last year's viral hit She's Gone, Dance On, each blending seamlessly into the next.
The lighting and visuals throughout the show were just as impressive. During heavier house tracks, laser-style lights cut through the air in bursts of color that matched every beat drop, turning the venue into something that felt both intimate and cinematic. The energy on the floor was a perfect mix of laid back and euphoric, where no one’s pushing or crowding, just moving together to the beat.
As the night came to a close, the energy never dipped. The crowd sang every word to Latch, a track that came out in 2014 but still hits like a classic. It’s the kind of song that immediately brings you back to where you were when you first heard it, and hearing it live again after all these years felt nostalgic in the best way.
You & Me followed, and it was nothing short of iconic. They were joined by live trumpet and saxophone players who played along effortlessly with the chorus while Howard jumped on the drums, giving the song a whole new dimension of energy.
Watching Disclosure perform is a reminder of how rare it is to see electronic music brought to life with this much musicianship, production, and passion. If they’re coming anywhere near your city, don’t miss it.
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