The Notwist neatly divided the crowd into dancers and relatively calm observers at their Bluebird Theater set on Monday. Photo from .
Entering the shortly after the first band began, it was hard to distinguish who the two opening acts actually were. The acts — and — traded places every few songs, and both were scruffy looking guys working the mixers and drum machine with deft ability. Itap a little frustrating, because while both were good, one was a little more hip-hop, while the other was a little more electronica. These are important nuances in show reviews.
Overall, both Jel and Odd Nosdam, who are based in California, were appropriate openers for . One of them (Jel?) had a song that heavily sampled Ravi Shankar put to a trance beat that worked out well. Even though both artists were more hip-hop influenced than the Notwist, the relaxed electronic sounds segued perfectly into the headliner.
It is hard to imagine the Notwistap hardcore punk beginnings when listening to any of the albums they have put out in the last decade. During their transformation into an electro-pop band, the Notwistap songs became careful arrangements of strings and electronic sounds, giving the music an orchestral feel. It was interesting to see that in live performances the band hasn’t completely forsaken their roots.
The first song held few surprises as the band stayed true to their recorded form, except that Markus Archer’s unique voice wavered in and out of key. As the show progressed, the structure began to collapse into a cacophony of noise at the end of each song. It was clear that the band was enjoying themselves and injecting a little hardcore feel into their newer sound. While less elegant, it added a level of energy to songs that can seem a little sterile.
The Notwist have eschewed the dance anthem, high energy beats so prevalent in their genre of music. However, a sweaty girl pushed out of the crowd, explaining that a huge dance party had broken out on her side of the crowd. The other side was a little more subdued, enjoying the music with a swaying motion and heavy-lidded eyes. The latter side was the one the girl wandered back to after re-hydrating.
The crowd was, if not huge, an interesting mix of people. One gentleman had flown in from Florida specifically to see the Notwist. They were a dedicated bunch. If I hadn’t gotten into a heated political/moral argument, then had to deal with a lost cell phone, perhaps I would have enjoyed it as much as everyone else seemed to.
Ian Nelson is a writer for and Reverb contributor.
