Bend Over Beethoven
8 November 2007I got my dance on tonight.
I’ve said it before, but London’s Koko night club in Camden is awesome. Its renovation from being the crappy old Camden Palace has been astounding. It’s chic and gorgeous, and just the right size for a good band. I saw three acts there tonight.
First up were Aussie electro-rockers Midnight Juggernauts. I only managed to catch their last song, but I liked it quite a bit: heavy bass, a good groove.
Second were Toronto’s DIY electronica group Holy Fuck. I liked them, too. Rhythm-centred electronic grooves that reminded me a bit of The Crystal Method. Their last song was a bit more melodic.
The headliners, though, were those nutty American dance rockers !!!. They were awesome. They hit the groove on every song and made it sound funky and catchy. The songs had breaks and starts, builds to get the crowd crazy, and just generally induced constant states of dancing. Singer Nic Offer is a great frontman: he dances like an
absolute nerd, but does so with so much screw-you attitude that he goes right past silly, right through Napolean Dynamite-ironic-funny, and right into cool. His singing is often more like shouting, but that fits the rhythmic focus of the whole band.
None of the songs are about lofty topics: they’re all silly too, but that matters little. !!! are just here for the dance-punk party. We thanked them for that.
They played a few tracks from their earlier albums, like “Pardon My Freedom” and “Me And Giuliani Down By The School Yard”. But they focused mainly on their 2007 album Myth Takes, playing several tracks from there – including my favourites, “All My Heroes Are Weirdos” and “Must Be The Moon” (possibly the most dance-inducing song ever).
Very fun gig.
Agreed on all counts–I saw them at The Opera House in TO a month or so ago. !!! is on my short list of bands that I will buy tickets for every time they come to town.
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