If Friday night’s Downtown Records anniversary show at Webster Hall went like a petite Pitchfork Festival, then Saturday night at Terminal 5 was on par with Coachella.
The night kicked off with a DJ set from the Ed Banger crew Dj Mehdi and So Me. Like any event that involves something remotely Ed Banger related, I am always hopeful the elusive First Lady of Ed Banger, Uffie , will emerge in a pupil-dialated rage and storm the stage to lip sync “Pop The Glock.” Alas, I was left sorely disappointed, but the crunchy, house-infused beats from the duo got the entire venue – comprised mostly of hipster-cum-prep school fair – into an appropriate state of mind.
Major Lazer followed suit, running through the majority of its debut, Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do. The duo – DJs Diplo and Switch – primarily just hit play on their LP while some guest MCs hooted and hollered over their tracks. Santigold even graced the stage to sing (and shake) to her contribution on “Hold The Line.” Still, bouncing up and down to the thumping bass of “Pon De Floor” with a bunch of sweaty kids while a real-life laser show burned your retinas made up for any underwhelmingness of the band’s live performance.
In best for last fashion, Miike Snow rounded out Saturday’s trifecta for a set that lasted a little over an hour. The band emerged in the V for Vendetta-esque masks they’ve been rocking in their shows since they started touring.
While some still are under the impression Miike Snow is a dude (frontman Andrew Wyatt is usually responsible for causing this confusion), Saturday’s crowd seemed to be a bit more in-the-know, turning almost every song into a sing-a-long until the band took each song into dizzying new heights with new arrangements and “jam” sessions. I use the word jam lightly because while, yes, they jammed, they did so with the precision of a band that is made up of Swedes Bloodshy & Avant, the uber-producers responsible for the likes of Britney’s “Toxic.”
Still, in a live setting, tracks like “Silvia” and “Black & Blue” soared into piano-laden, vocoder-induced oblivion that only proved why Miike Snow’s 2009 debut is still bringing in new fans today.
Well done, Downtown! Maybe Uffie can join for the decade bash…she can do lights at least?
