i had a rough morning today. i could barely turn my neck, there was a dull ache in my right arm and a shooting pain in my left, and even though my ears are still ringing, i didn't mind in the least, because the go! team put on a great show last night. it was the third time i had seen them in a month (the other two being connect and abc), so there weren't any surprises, just pure, sweaty pleasure. i'm not going to bother with a full review, just a few thoughts i had about the gig, some pictures, and a bit of video.
you might be aware of how strongly mr. mammoth dislikes big venues. well, potterow (one of edinburgh university's student unions) was certainly not big. in fact, it was a pretty sweet space. its short, arched ceiling, nice wide stage, and bar at the back made for a great show, as the crazy-as-shit crowd proved. i had initially been disappointed to find out it was an all-ages show at the door, but the crowd seemed anything but. though it was the first night of the nme freshers tour (hitting up universities all over great britain), there was a strong post-student presence, which made for a less reckless drunk and more informed and energetic crowd. i was right at the front, and got pushed around constantly, but it was more activity than i've seen from a go! team crowd before, and everybody was into it. after the disappointing show at abc, it was great to see the go! team one last time on their home turf in such a good environment.
for their freshers tour, nme handpicked two bands that have received virtually no press attention - the satin peaches and operator please. the two bands are taking turns opening throughout the tour, and the satin peaches kicked the show off last night. the detroit foursome play rabid, screamy rock that, really, just sucked. frontman george morris spent most of the set proving that you don't need to be able to sing to be a singer, especially when your grating yells are backed by an inarticulate sonic mess. the sheer awfulness of their half hour set meant that a good twenty foot buffer was kept between the stage and the closest fan. not a band to watch (yet somehow, they're already signed to a major label...)
so when operator please came on stage, they could've played meandering space jams and i would've been happy - or at least happier than the satin peaches made me. but my interest was actually piqued when operator please came onstage with a keyboardist and violinist, and a drummer
who couldn't have been older than sixteen (and that's being generous). and no space jams either - the quintet rocked quick and tight with songs as spastic and ferocious as anything le tigre has ever made, no mean feat for a group with half its members still in high school. though frontwoman amandah wilkinson was obviously unhappy with the sound (frequently motioning for more violin and commenting that her guitar sounded "like a gremlin"), operator please rocked the house and made many heads turn, especially mine.
operator please have commanded much attention in their home country of australia despite their young age, having won themselves a major label (boo) contract less than two years after forming. their history is quite dramatic - operator please came about as a battle of the bands experiment, but found their sound to be so compelling that they stuck it out even after winning the prize (a box of donuts). after releasing their debut ep, cement cement, to native praise, operator please have moved on with a new single "just a song about ping pong," which has completely sold out. after their rotating stint as a go! team opener, operator please is playing at least one show stateside, with land of talk and film school at mercury lounge. don't forget your dancing shoes and/or booty shaking ability.
which brings us, of course, to the go! team itself. since i've said pretty much everything a person can say about the go! team ("supercharged schoolyard funk" is probably my favorite), i don't think i should say any more. they were great, especially in the small space, and i've certainly gotten my fill of their live act, so i'm not upset about skipping their bowery ballroom show later this year. ninja had some great moves, ian parton wore the same shirt we saw him in at abc, it was the same set that we'd heard before with the same videos, and i was totally happy.
here are some mp3s and videos to keep you just as happy as me.
operator please - "just a song about ping pong." you can buy the single online.
the go! team - "milk crisis," from the proof of youth bonus disc. buy the album here.
(there was a security guard blocking my view of half the stage. sorry.)
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