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| MGMT live at Rock City - photo by Dom Henry (c) |
If you’re down with the weekly music press you will have heard how super and fab MGMT are. But don’t always believe the hype, especially if it’s an NME branded hype. Problems can arise when genuinely good bands don’t quite live up to expectation, and one can walk away from an album or a gig with a feeling of disappointment. I did not get what I expected with MGMT at Rock City and this pleased me no end.
I anticipated a relaxing night of pop with the potential for too much emphasis on synths and drum machine. What I got was so much more and everyone else there seemed to agree. Usually a two piece (vocal/guitar and keyboard/vocals), they supplement their sound with an extra three people for live performances.
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| Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT - photo by Dom Henry (c) |
Opening with Weekend Wars, MGMT actually rocked. I’m not talking ‘Metallica’ rocked but they sounded far from wishy washy or just pure pop. They melded “oooooohs” and “ahhhahhhhahhhs” with catchy keyboards, sturdy guitars and beats; it all just unquestionably fitted together. Their sound stretches from pychadelic rock to funk to disco to pop and down some back alleys along the way.
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| Ben Goldwasser of MGMT - photo by Dom Henry (c) |
The singles, Time to Pretend and Electric Feel, went down a storm with everyone in the crowd going a bit crazy. MGMT came across as confident yet there was little audience interaction, the singer barely spoke until the end of their set. I was genuinely torn between wanting to have my wicked way with him and wanting to take him home for a nice cup of tea and a hug.
Saving the best for last, the encore was short yet very sweet at only two songs. Ten minutes of jumping around like a fool takes it out of you no matter how old you are. Finishing with the more eighties influenced track, Kids, meant that everyone left on a high. So don’t always believe the hype, MGMT are definitely a band worth giving some aural space to and watching when they next come round these parts.
MGMT played at Rock City on Thursday 6 November 2008
Photos courtesy of Dom Henry (c)
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