|
|
|
review: The last time The Go! Team played in Seattle, back in July of this year, they tore the house down at Neumo's. Seattle loves us some Go! Team—after all, KEXP broke The Go! Team in the U.S.—and the band was feeling the love again the other night at the Showbox.
That said, we were quite surprised to find that the house was far from packed when The Go! Team's set time rolled around. (Maybe because it was a Tuesday, or maybe because it was an earlyish show—the room did fill up as time went on.) And where was vocalist/MC Ninja? Building drama for her entrance, that's where, as she bounded onto the stage just in time for the opening song. Throughout the show, Ninja worked the crowd like a marionetteer, getting almost everyone dancing, jumping, and waving their hands in the air like they just didn't care. By the time the band hit the third song of their set, "The Power Is On," the audience was in a positive frenzy. Ninja's best trick is when she points out a series of people in the audience and imitates their dancing. She even got almost the entire audience to put their arms around each other and sway back and forth for "Everyone's a V.I.P. to Someone," for crying out loud. She's a dynamic and electrifying frontperson, but she also has no problem stepping out of the spotlight, for example to jingle sleighbells for b-side track "The Ice Storm," or offstage completely to let shy-yet-fierce drummer Chi take vocal duties on "Hold Yr Terror Close." And Ninja's not the only energetic one in the band—everyone rocks out, especially band mastermind Ian Parton (no relation to Dolly), who whips his guitar around like a scythe (prompting Ninja to declare the stage a "guitar danger zone" at one point).
The band has upgraded their stage show a bit since last time, adding some video projections (featuring, no surprise, some really cool retro graphics), additional instrumentation in the form of dorky band-room staples recorder and xylophone, and oh yeah, they've apparently added a new member to their touring ensemble as well. As for how they handled the upgraded venue size, I have never seen a Showbox crowd that hyped up—not even close. Maybe it was the difference in our vantage point, but even though the Neumo's show felt more intimate (even though it's still a largish club), I felt like the band's energy penetrated the room better at the Showbox, with people jumping and dancing all the way to the back of the room. The only other live band I've seen fill up a room with as much fun and love is Seattle's own United State of Electronica. With their supernova live show and exhilarating album, The Go! Team are cementing their claim on Band of 2005 for me. (mike 10.05)
related links