A heady mix of psychedelic beats, obscure metaphors and unique transitions between songs- a set certain to delight those of you interested in anything indie-pop.
4 STARS
Darwin Deez: a name some of you will recognise and perhaps not be able to place. His hit song ‘Radar Detector’, which debuted in 2010 on the UK Indie Chart at number 5, acted, undoubtedly, as a major factor in the selling out of his gig last night at The Bodega. The Bodega’s upstairs venue, a comparatively small location, was filled to the brim with a wide array of music lovers: from students to drunken middle-aged women, the latter of whom later in the night aggravated those around them by spilling their drinks all over the place as they danced (perhaps too enthusiastically) to Darwin Deez’s set list. Undeniably, there was a hubbub of expectation within the crowd as we waited for Darwin Deez to grace the stage with his distinctive music, stage presence and of course, hairstyle. In the meantime, we were treated to the music of Peluché, a three-woman band from London who amazed us with their startlingly high-pitched voices and the assortment of musical instruments they included in their set. Not only were there the standard guitar, drum kit and keyboard; at various points a clarinet made an appearance, much to the delight of the audience (in particular, the drunken middle-aged ladies).
I particularly enjoyed the music of Peluché and will certainly be looking into their music more as a result of their performance last night which was, indeed, a fitting introduction to the music of Darwin Deez, the sound of both bands creating a certain out-of-body experience of the musical variety.
With the Peluché set over, Darwin Deez and his band members climbed onto the stage and after a short interval- in which some fiddling was done with the equipment which seemed to be on the blink- we witnessed Darwin Deez initiating a group hug before the band began their set with a mixture of rap and dance which propelled the already expectant crowd into a Darwin Deez-induced frenzy.
We heard all the tunes that one thinks of initially when it comes to Darwin Deez, for example, ‘Up in the Clouds’, ‘Constellations’, ‘Kill your Attitude’, ‘Bad Day’ and of course, the afore mentioned ‘Radar Detector.’ Absolutely nothing disappointed. Darwin Deez live is, perhaps, even better than consuming his songs in album form. The band performed their songs with emotion and engaged with the audience throughout. There was even a Q&A towards the end where Darwin allowed an excited girl to join him on stage and do an interpretative dance as he finished his last song, something she had requested to do. During this exchange, Darwin also hinted at how one might emulate his famed hairstyle. And, what’s his secret I hear you ask? Well, it has something to do with shampoo- or a lack of it…
Overall, his humorous and engaging personality shone through, it was a wonderful set to watch and he really seemed to appreciate his fellow band members and everyone that was there to support him. If you’re a fan of alternative music, go one further than buying their third album Double Down (released this autumn) and see Darwin Deez on tour! I promise you, you won’t regret it.
For more on Darwin Deez:
Edited by Naomi Upton
Sources:
http://www.bodeganottingham.com/gigs/1234/darwin-deez
http://www.artsyork.co.uk/darwin-deez-bring-their-radio-friendly-indie-pop-to-the-duchess/
Image Sources:
http://www.bodeganottingham.com/images/gigs_2015/Darwin%20Deez%20cont.jpg
http://www.purplesneakers.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Darwin-Deez-2013-a.jpg
http://www.bodeganottingham.com/images/gigs_2015/Peluche%20cont.jpg