I was thinking of not reviewing this gig as I’m not sure there is much I can say about MGMT that hasn’t been said before both here and elsewhere. Yet, because I spent last night bewildered and, at times, in fits of giggles, I can’t resist.
The reason for the mirth came from watching the crowd. Miss S. aptly remarked that it was a gig where she (and I) felt both too old and too young at the same time. The kids were out in force with their impossibly swept hair, head wrapped bandanas and odd shock of luminescence. In equal measure were the oldies, with both Bowie and Floyd t-shirts spotted. An odd mixture for sure, but one totally in line with MGMT’s mix of disco tinged beats, shifting time-signatures and general noodling. What made me giggle was watching the kids go bonkers for the big tunes and then looking bemused as the band twiddled their way through extended compositions that were at least 2000 light years away from pop. For example, the place predictably and rightfully erupted to’Time to Pretend’, yet MGMT had the confidence to follow it up with ten-minute slab of, and there’s no way round this (I should know), prog.
In fact, what I love about MGMT is that they really don’t seem to care that much about what people think of them – they’re going to do their own thing irrespective of the hype and adulation. By the time they’d invited all and sundry onto stage for an up-to-11 encore of Aerosmith’s ‘Sweet Emotion’, the kids, apart from a hardcore at the front, had left in perplexed droves – probably because they want to chase down that Camel re-issue of Mirage, I would have thought.
I predict the next album to be entitled ‘A Brimful of Goblins’ and MGMT to potentially have a reduced fan base after last night. So it’ll be Academy 2 next time round and I, for one, will be banging on the doors to get in. Brilliant.
Oracular Spectacular is available everywhere, but why not get it here?
angrybonbon
p.s. Quote in post title courtesy of Miss S.
Stumble It!
Sounds great. We had a similarly yoof-ful crowd – I think we *were* the oldie contingent. Are you sure they didn’t leave early because they’d heard Merthyr Tydfil proggers Man were playing nearby?
Shit…Man were in Manc last night – you could of told me!
[ahem]
Might have been Gong or t’Tull, mind you.
It was a great night! Although I agree – there were lots of people who seemed really confused when they played the lesser-known songs. I, however, am all for a full 13 minute version of Metanoia!
Thanks Blue. Crikey, was it 13 minutes? Marvellous!