Arcade Fire, The Polyphonic Spree, Super Furry Animals, At The Drive-In… MGMT belong in this list. Somewhere high up. This short list is without a doubt some of the finest bands I have ever seen live. Bands that literally make your mouth drop and your skin tingle when witnessed in a live setting.
For those of you not in the know, MGMT (I think, pronounced management) are a band from New York who are not to be pigeonholed. It’s hard to describe the sound without throwing up all manner of clichés such as “sun drenched pop” “disco punk psychedelica”. Far more significant than that. And perhaps my finest musical discovery since Les Savy Fav.
The “Social” then is a tiny bar with an upstairs gig room. The gig room is no bigger than gullivers, possibly even smaller. Upon entry we were greeted by the strangest looking DJ’s I have ever layed my eyes on (they were strange as they were wearing animals masks, not quite sure why, a cross between slightly funny and very creepy). And a smoke machine which literally let off it’ “gas” every 40 seconds on the dot. Because of the rooms size it quickly became like fog, after ten minutes of being in the room I was struggling to see the DJ booth, which was only four meters away.
Feeling like I was under a mustard gas attack by a set of masked disc spinners I started to panic, my life flashed before me like a wave of catatonic despair mixed with a huge introspective nightmare. Then I realised that those feelings were merely the ones for the support band (cant remember their name, virgin something…). Sounding like The Dandy Warhols (at their most dark moments), Pink Floyd and a wave of nauseating depression. Really hard to listen to, awkward – but brilliant. A very very good live band, but – not something that you want if you are feeling chipper.
Shortly afterwards the dry ice cleared (maybe it was part of the supports act / atmosphere), 45 excruciatingly long minutes later, MGMT took to the stage.
This bit, is going to be short.
Took to the stage looking like a cross between a bunch of drugged drifters and one quite frankly, frightening guitarist it wasn’t until they started playing that most of the crowd “got it”. Of course, with my veins pulsing like a soundwave – I knew of this band long before some of this crowd. So much so, I already have the album – which isn’t out for another 2 weeks (bragging over, apologies). Their sun soaked melodies (cliché 1) are just an epic tour de force (2). Possibly the tightest band I have seen in a long long long time, Played with pitch perfection (3?). The only bad thing? One song on the album – possibly one of my favourites, they did not play because they over-ran on their set. A massive shame, but not entirely their fault.
Seriously, what I said in the first paragraph, they BELONG in that list. I cannot fathom the words to express just how good they were. It’s like trying to explain what a dog looks like to a blind person (??).
Jaw-dropping and hairs sticking up have to be experienced. When they tour again they WILL be huge. I feel almost privileged to have seen them at such a small venue. When they tour again, Go and see them.
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