Fresh from the front and two previous nights of Berlin Music Week (Nordic by Nature review coming soon yes it was good), yours truly was mildly haggard getting to the festival grounds today, must be noted that as soon as you get off at Tempelhof and start to see the big banners welcoming you, all sort of week-related cares melt away. This year the entrance it through the old airport, so you come out on a staircase overlooking the art village, backgrounded by the hazy and gray afternoon sun.
Ahh, these Icelanders, my love affair with Scandinavia continues. The set included lots of hand claps and "ooh aahhs" if you can visualize that. They played a decent set, including "Mountain Sound" (about flying over the ocean on the back of a witch, only people from Bjork's country can do this kind of thing) "Lakehouse" "Six Weeks" and their hit, "Little Talks." Highlight was "Skeletons" a cover of a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song, always admirable that in a short set a band chooses to honor an infuence. All in all though I found it pretty standard and watered down indie-folk, but a nice calm way to start an epic two days of music.
This band....this band is ...huh? wait I can't hear you the set was so loud the cloth skirt on the stage was shaking. Even with earplugs, you feel this set in your sternum. This four piece band from England loves, I mean LOVES, their percussion. The mildly spastic frontman also helps keep your attention. Clock Opera recorded is to Clock Opera live as turning on the light switch is to being electrocuted. They ended with a rousing "Once and For All" and, to quote the frontman, "Pretty good for a Friday at 4 pm." Be sure to see them at Bii Nuu this September if you are in Berlin.
You know sometimes I think they need to rename this Festival the Brooklyn festival, New York is annoyingly well represented. Lead singer Samantha Urbani comes out looking like Jasmine from Aladdin had she been kidnapped and brainwashed by hipsters, with flowing white pants, a huge belt, a black and white harlequin pattern top and hair in a top ponytail that is perfect for belly dancing and whipping around in all sorts of lewd dance moves that throwback to early, and I mean early, Madonna. Their set of danceable, disco glitter pop was rounded out nicely by a Urbani walking out into the crowd, to the utter delight of the grim faced security guards. She put her hand on his shoulder and told him "It's okay, you can have fun."
Okay much hype has been blasted through the universe about this Canadian musician/artist, and video director. The show consisted of her before a table of various mixing elements, and a sunglassed gentlemen on an electric drum. Add four mildly frightening dancers dressed like hallucinogenic jellyfish, with lights and all, and you have the setting: a sort of trippy, smoke filled nightmare that blends perfectly with Grimes breathy vocals and electronic jams. And there was a surprise visit from our favorite exhibitionist from Friends.
Well, to my surprise this Swedish electronic indie pop rescued me from the Jaar induced coma. The lead singer looks like some strung out version of Andrew WK, dressed entirely in black. Their set included "Bavarian #1 (Say You Will)," "The Wave," and an excellent version of "Paddling Out." Like Clock Opera, this is a band that is about 9,000 times better live. And, please, musicians, this is what we go to shows for, to see songs done differently! Or else we would just stay home and listen to your album in the comfort of our own homes!
Now, here is way to end the show of shows. Yeah, we could have seen Orbital, but I it's not 1998, and we could have seen the Killers, but I haven't liked them since Twain and I made out to them before my Cotillion ball (this is a heavily laced American reference sorry.) So, Major Lazer! And we chose well. In one hour, this group included (but no limited to): confetti cannons, glow sticks, pool toys, sexy dancers, a group of women from the audience dancing onstage (to "Bubble Butt"), a guy getting on stage and dry humped by two of the sexy dancers, a blow up ball so Diplo could crowd surf, and dance instructions ("To the left! to the right!"). High energy is a bit of an understatement. Samples included, but not limited to, Paul Simon's "You Can Call me All," Belafonte's "Day-O," Prodigy's "Smack my Bitch Up," Azelia Banks "212" and dancehall classics like "Jump Up." Showmanship people, it counts.
Bubble Butt dancers
the boy in the bubble
best bombs are confetti bombs
looking out into the crowd
The Disappointments
No, they weren't in the lineup, I am just going to title this section about the sets I gave up on. We Have Band began with "Where are your People?" It reminded me a little, one millionth of a bit of Gang Gang Dance, but GGD does it better. Barbara and I got way up in front for Nicolas Jaar, who I did not realize is the son of Alfredo Jaar, who's (tragic and depressing) art show was enjoyed by me at the Berlinische Galerie this summer. I left the barricade after ten minutes because I was falling asleep. What is so off putting about just guy behind a laptop? The music was long and pointless, and just at point when you thought it would crescendo or at least change it just kept going. Thankfully Miike Snow brought me out of the coma.
2 comments:
the implication with the cotillion comment is that is what a suburban American teenager would listen to.
this! super fun - would NOT hae remembered half as well had you not so thouroughly documented
;p
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