Go! Team Watercooler
One of last fall's most blogged musical discoveries was The Go! Team's Thunder, Lightning, Strike, a cut-and-paste pastiche of booty-shaking rock and soul along the lines of Avalanches or Beta Band at its funkiest. The UK sextet's retro sound was so infectious, some of us wondered if we hadn't already heard these songs in the Saturday morning cartoons of our youth. More curiously, it was fever to tell where the sampling ended and the band began. And that's why every NY hipster worth his or her hornrims packed Mercury Lounge (on Monday) and Southpaw (on Tuesday) to see this band in the flesh.
I so wanted to to disagree with all the negative reviews of Monday's show. I wanted the Team to get its shit together for the Southpaw crowd so I could tell you how awesome it was. Unfortunately, I just wasn't feeling it. Ninja's an engaging, high energy vocalist, but we could barely hear her. I don't even think Ian's harmonica was amplified for the first couple of songs.
In all fairness though, the Go! Team sounds SO BIG on CD -- short of bringing out the USC Marching Band, there was probably no way they'd meet my high expectations. Thunder still has a home on my iPod, of course, and I look foward to seeing which major label wins the rumored bidding war already in progress. Here are some photographs I took because I'm a blogger and that's what bloggers do at rock shows.
I know you like my retarded cropping. Don't lie.
Go! Team plays Canal Room tonight for $5. Check 'em out and decide for yourself.
Posted at 8:58 AM
Totally agree. I was at the Southpaw show last night, and the sound was awful. Everything sounded muddy. And the vocals were mixed so low, that you couldn't really hear what she was saying until the show was almost over. Oh well.
I waited outside for the sound guy. But he never showed. Pussy.
Posted by: jamie at March 23, 2005 1:40 PM | ReplyScore = 0
i don't get this complaint. the sound of her vocals is mixed so low on the album too. that's sort of what i like about it. i wasn't there, and southpaw usually disappoints for me, so maybe it didn't sound low as much as it sounded just like shit. anyway i thought while they weren't as amazing as they could have been, they were pretty awesome at the mercury show.
Posted by: adam at March 23, 2005 2:19 PM | ReplyScore = 0
my main complaint was the length of the set. did anyone else notice that they actually only seemed to play five songs, or were you all distracted by how long it took to get from song to song after all of the chanting and call-and-response and "you guys have no excuse not to dance"s? i mean, c'mon, the opening bands played for longer.
Posted by: giulia at March 23, 2005 2:39 PM | ReplyScore = 0
I don't know if I'm happy or sad that I wasn't the only one totally disappointed by the entire set. The sound was AWFUL for all three bands, but that fact was emphasized during the Go! Team's set. Really. Bad. But then their set was so ridiculously short and they seemed like they weren't really into doing an encore for an audience that was rocking out, despite the shit sound. I'll keep them on my iPod, but probably won't shell out any more cash to see them live.
Posted by: Meghan at March 23, 2005 2:56 PM | ReplyScore = 0
wow, it totally sucks to be you guys.
Posted by: me at March 23, 2005 3:02 PM | Replyi caught the go! team in miami at the vice party and they totally rocked the house - HARD. the sound was totally on point (and LOUD) and it was everything i wanted it to be.
better luck next time...
Score = 0
i'm suppose to see them tonight. i am a bit worried now. crap.
Posted by: prefixmag.com at March 23, 2005 5:06 PM | ReplyScore = 0
I really liked the show, thought it was better than the Mercury show.
Lots of negative word of mouth on the shows, not surprising given all the hype. It would be practically impossible for them to live up to expectations. Live show sounds a lot different than the album. That's not a bad thing, necessarily. Just different.
Seemed like most people were having a good time, even if Ninja would have liked to have seen more dancing. (Ease up on the jaded New Yorkers, Ninja.)
Maybe by the time they play the Bowery the sound will have filled out. I'd like to hear all the instruments and samples, not a jumble of noise.
Posted by: Coolfer Glenn at March 23, 2005 5:12 PM | ReplyScore = 0
the show sucked. the only thing that made me wanna dance was the set played by The Apes. the go team was definitely not inspiring me to do much of anything, except go home early and crash.
Posted by: e at March 23, 2005 5:18 PM | ReplyScore = 0
That's unfortunate about the Go! Team's live show. Really love their debut.
Posted by: Matt at March 23, 2005 9:16 PM | ReplyScore = 0
wait the Apes opened for the go team??!
The Apes put on one of the most ridiculously amazing shows I ever saw last year. so much energy on stage, that their album could never live up to their live set...
Posted by: jfantastic at March 24, 2005 1:14 AM | ReplyScore = 0
I just got back from the show at the Canal Room and I think i saw a completely different show from the sp and mercury shows. The Go! Team were amazing tonight. I danced like a complete reject and the crowd was super into it. The band looked liked they were having a great time too. It was the most fun I've had at a show in a long time. Would love to hear what other people at the Canal Room show thought. I might just be crazy but I thought the sound and energy were amazing.
Posted by: prefixmag at March 24, 2005 1:45 AM | ReplyScore = 0
just got home from the canal room show too. didn't have the luxury of seeing the preceding shows, but had a great time tonight. agree with some of the above posts that the vocals were a bit much. at first they seemed to overpower, but by the end they fit in nicely. a good, fast set and a rockin encore. well done go! team
Posted by: karl at March 24, 2005 2:16 AM | ReplyScore = 0
I had a good at the Canal Room show, but I was pissed off for most of it because of the wait to get inside. I was cold, soggy, and miserable, and there was no reason to make 100 people stand in line like that. The band apologized for that, but it wasnt their fault. Hopefully I wont ever have to go there again. The Go! Team rocked despite all of that.
Posted by: jerry at March 24, 2005 10:03 AM | ReplyScore = 0
Forgot to mention The Apes. They kicked ass at the Southpaw show. I'd love to catch them again. Everyone on stage went friggen binoculars for the whole set. Sick.
Posted by: jamie at March 24, 2005 10:31 AM | ReplyScore = 0
How long were their sets at Mercury and Southpaw. Last night they played for 50 minutes including the encore, which was a new song that they played for the first time in NYC last night(?)
Posted by: Matt at March 24, 2005 12:08 PM | ReplyScore = 0
Yeah, the sound sucked at Southpaw, but the sound also kind of sucks on the album. Not that that's a great defense. In any case, I had a great time at the show, and it looked like most of the people around me were having a blast too. Really not sure why this show is getting such bad word-of-mouth.
And The Apes? Jesus. I thought their schtick was pretty lame, just trying too hard. Only one word for what their lead singer does on stage: prancing. With a tambourine. Hated it.
The music was OK, though.
Posted by: drive-by-poster at March 26, 2005 4:54 PM | ReplyScore = 0
i saw the go team at the mercury lounge and considering the usual new york crowd, Ninja did a fantastic job to get half the crowd waving! Apparently, their sound is deliberately mixed for low vocals and big noise. i've never seen so much energy on stage, and without the bravado of the rock ego. its so different. i'd say see them, but if you dont plan to dance, stay the f*** at home!
Posted by: Nitro at March 26, 2005 8:51 PM | ReplyScore = 0