Gang Gang Dance and Highlife – XOYO 16/05/2011

 Eye Contact cover

On Monday, I had the rare treat of seeing a band I really love play an intimate show, just after the release of an amazing, critically-acclaimed new record. The venue was Old Street’s XOYO, the band were Brooklyn experimentalists, Gang Gang Dance, and the record is Eye Contact.

Providing the support was Highlife, London-born NYC musician Sleepy Doug Shaw, who also happens to be the current GGD bass player. I had heard last year’s excellent Best Bless EP and was interested to see him perform. I arrived about fifteen minutes after he started, so I can’t speak for the first few songs, but, from what I saw, he was playing completely different material this time around. Gone were the clean guitar lines and untreated vocals; in were reverb, delay and a host of other pedal effects. The songs were similarly circular, though, and characterised by loops and haunted vocals. Low-key in mood where the E.P. had been up beat and cheery, it was interesting without quite scaling the heights of the tracks that I knew.

Highlife

After Shaw had left the stage, several beers later, without a word, the space in front of the stage thickened up in anticipation for the main act. And the crowd itself was decent. A sell-out, as expected, it had an interesting combination of the older gent, the scenester couple and the ‘regular’ person; all of whom seemed to get more involved than many other small indie gigs in East London venues.

Minutes later, Gang Gang Dance came on stage to a hearty welcome, and, without too much faffing around, plunged straight into some recently released material that was both melodic and out-there, like the band themselves. The second song, ‘House Jam’ – part of which, incidentally, Florence (of Machine fame) cribbed and has to pay them royalties for – got the audience going a bit more. People  even began to sway and dance (yes, dance!) to the futuristic beat. 12-minute single, ‘Glass Jar’, was a particular highlight of the set, unfurling as it does so engagingly, along with new cut, ‘MindKilla’: the later getting the crowd the most frenzied. But, what was interesting for me was that they played a handful of new songs not released in the UK and extended others in a jam-like fashion, not pausing between songs.

GGD from my phone

I absolutely loved every single minute of it, sweatiness aside, and thought Lizzy Bougastos’ siren-like vocals formidable live. Even the Japanese guy who joined them on stage, dancing with a binbag, couldn’t detract from her magnetic presence. For anyone not familiar with their signature sound – or sound palette – it is nigh-impossible to describe; however, their melding of Eastern dance music, sub bass and space-age sounds is incredible to behold, when seen live. I just hope I get the chance to see them again soon, as they are without question one of the coolest live band’s I’ve seen.

Deerhunter – Shepherd’s Bush Empire (31/03/2011)

On Thursday I was lucky enough to go and see one of my favourite bands play live. Having already seen them once 18 months ago, before the release of last years astonishing and critically lauded Halcyon Digest, I knew what to expect and I was genuinely excited. Thankfully I wasn’t let down.

The support came from Lower Dens, a good band who sounded – to my ears at least – like Cryptograms-era Deerhunter. Typically the crowd didn’t get too involved; the most people stretched to was a polite nodding of their heads. It should be noted that many of those heads were balding or already bald, as the Atlanta band, like a lot of music I seem to listen to, attract a very diverse crowd. Age-wise, anyway. Towards the back end of their set, the place really started to fill up and my position near the stairs became more and more moronic.

The view from my iPhone

When Deerhunter finally took to the stage, with their own newfound brand of phlegmatic calm, it was up to affable front man Bradford Cox to do all the talking – and rocking. Guitarist Lockett Pundt and the other members are never ones to go too mental; they just play, trance-like, as befits the tight live band they have evolved into. They started with a new track, ‘60 Cycle Hum’, which they recently played live on the BBC, but it somehow failed to get the crowd going as much as I anticipated.

Second track, the Lockett-led ‘Desire Lines’, really upped the tempo and was one of the highlights. It seamlessly blended two of Deerhunter’s defining characteristics: the love of pop melody and the tendency to veer towards murkier jams. The set also consisted of two songs from Cryptograms, ‘Hazel St.’ and set-closer ‘Octet’, which married well with the rest of their more recent material.

Another highlight was my favourite track from Halcyon, ‘Helicopter’, whose cathartic line: “No one cares for me…” really got the crowd going. But this audience was not entirely for moving: the ponytailed fans certainly remembered My Bloody Valentine the first time round and definitely liked swaying.

Microcastle highlights, ‘Little Kids’ and ‘Nothing Ever Happened’ were performed with as much aplomb as the last time I saw them, but it was the rendition of ‘Cover Me/Agoraphobia’ in the encore that got people most excited. I, for one, loved it all. They really are one of the very best bands around; Halcyon Digest and Microcastle are undoubtedly too of the best albums of recent times; and they are a compelling live presence – dress and fake blood or not. The lack of crowd interaction may put some of the harder rockers off, but listen a bit harder and you’ll be richly rewarded.

Setlist.

Dirty Projectors – Koko (09/12/’10)

Having never had the pleasure of seeing one of my very favourite bands before, expectation was understandably high. As was my apprehension. But, like so many of the gigs I have been too recently, it did not disappoint.

Their support came in the form of London trio, Male Bonding, a band that I had heard great things about but only a couple of singles. Superficially an odd choice to open for a band as intellectual and seemingly serious as Dirty Projectors, they in fact provided the perfect complement. Much to my chagrin, not all of the crowd seemed to agree; yet their brand of noise pop, catchy hooks, equally catchy melodies and more noise may not be to everyone’s taste. They may have been loud but they were good loud. The drumming was fast, impressive and precise and the other two weren’t too bad, either.

Their songs may have not been as original as other current bands’ (the act they were opening for being prime among them) but their mid-nineties-influenced material was performed with aplomb. So much so that I am have already got hold of their LP.

Male Bonding - Year's Not Long

After they finished, the old theatre really began to get packed out. The sort of polite jostling that one only gets at brainy indie bands’ gigs was rife. When lead singer Dave Longstreth appeared on stage to fiddle with his guitars, the reaction was muted. When he appeared with the rest of his band the reception was raucous. They proceeded to play several songs I hadn’t heard, off this year’s Björk collaboration, Mount Wittenburg Orca, along with a Bob Dylan cover; and every note was met with an almost trance-like reaction from the crowd.

Every song was marked with some virtuoso musicianship, whether from the spidery fingers of Longstreth and his impressive guitar playing or the siren-like brilliance of Amber Coffman et al.’s backing vocals. So fine were their arpeggiating melodies that I found it hard to believe they could be done live. Particular highlights included the r’n’b crowd-pleaser Stillness is the Move and epic set-closer Rise Above; though, given the all round brilliance, picking highlights seems unfair. Everyone seemed happy, aside from a few lads heard complaining in the queue on the way out. About what I shall never know.

Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is the Move

Vampire Weekend and Ratatat – Alexandra Palace (02/12/’10)

I was lucky enough to get a ticket for this gig the other day, and the line up looked too good to be true. In fact, it was too good to be true as Laura Marling was forced to pull out at the last minute. This may have been due to the adverse weather conditions, or some impromptu illness; I don’t know. Disapointing as it was, it was still an entertaining bill as it was and the chance to see two very different American bands in the faded grandeur of the Alexandra Palace.

Ratatat were, quite obviously, up first and proved an able and enjoyable support act. Their own unique brand of hip hop and electro beats with electric guitar, live drums and other assorted instruments proved perplexing to some of the crowd but most people seemed to enter into the spirit of things. Despite there only being two members, the pair make for an engaging live act, with the head-banging and shredding of guitarist, Mike Stroud, being particularly impressive. To go along with the music, the set up included some hilarious visuals featuring Abba, Arnie in Predator, a wildcat and lots of cockatiels; not to mention two state-of-the-art projectors showing a strings section and more creatures.

Ratatat – Wildcat

After the duo left the stage and some time past, it became evident that Laura Marling was not going to play and the room quickly filled up. Mothers jostled with pre-pubescent children, scenesters, loud teens and middle-aged men of all nationalities. This bizarre mix just highlights the universal appeal of Vampire Weekend and their platinum-selling, meteoric rise. After entering to a blare of hip hop, the band played an immaculate set, incorporating almost every song they have ever recorded. The charisma of lead singer, Ezra Koenig, was never in question, nor the musicianship of the other members, or even the quality of the material. But with just two studio albums to their name, there was no element of surprise in what they were going to play, as the 1h 15m set is around the length of both of their albums. That said, despite not possessing the madcap stage presence of Ratatat or other ‘heavier’ bands, there is no doubting their charm. After the finale song of the encore, ‘Walcott’, the other 6,500 certainly thought so.

Vampire Weekend - Contra (Live at Alexandra Palace)

Ganglians, Eat Skull & Graffiti Island, XOYO Monday 8/11/2010

I made my first excursion to the recently opened XOYO on Monday night to see an American band I really like, Ganglians. As expected, the venue (which still smelt of new paint and MDF) was small but perfect for a night with little-known bands and there was more than a smattering of dubious facial hair. That said, the turnout was decent without being sold-out and the people who were there seemed to enjoy the music to varying degrees.

The first, and least heralded, band that was on was Graffiti Island, an American outfit who make music that could be seen as a cross between surf-rock and punk. Their lead singer, dapper as he was with freshly-coiffed hair, kicked off proceedings by screaming “Oh God!” into the mike before continuing to wail like a seasick wolf, before shout/singing the rest of his lyrics. Their songs were short but enjoyable affairs, never once exceeding the two-and-a-half minute mark and replete with simple but amusing lyrics and yet more wailing. At one point the singer stared at the diffident (and possibly indifferent) crowd and shouted something about his nipples being on fire, if only to get a reaction. He left the stage disappointed.

The second act was five-piece Eat Skull, who, as the lead singer was quick to point out, aren’t actually from anywhere as they don’t currently have a home. Having never heard their music, I don’t know what I was expecting but the bongos and clarinet they brought on stage did not prepare me for the aural onslaught that was to come. It was loud. Their music veered between noise and more conventional indie/lo-fi but the singers amusing lyrics, which were high in the mix, (screamed sample: “Your family’s dead!”) brought an element of lo-fi punkiness to proceedings. Their songs varied greatly in length and style, presumably coming from different albums, but all were enjoyable enough to make me want to look them up and the singer’s verbal tics and curveballs (such as the song about cooking) kept me constantly entertained and on guard.

The final act on, and the one I came to see, was the Sacramento band, Ganglians. Having previously seen them in the summer supporting Real Estate at another great Upset the Rhythm night in East London, I thought I knew to expect from these three hairy hippies and their teenage-looking mate who plays the guitar. They even started with two songs of their last album, Monster Head Room, before the singer pointed out that they were going to play mostly new songs and use the gig as “practice”. Unsure of how I felt about being ‘used’ like that, I was actually pleased they didn’t play the same gig twice. The new material was just as occasionally tripped-out, reverb-heavy and prone to jams as the old stuff; yet it was noticeably heavier in places and longer. The audience (teenage moshers included) seemed to like it, too, despite the late start time and the fact that many people left after East Skull. Though one never knows with some British crowds. Their acoustic album cut, Cryin’ Smoke, was a particular highlight and they definitely remain a young band to watch.