The Spin: M.I.A. & Holy Fuck at City Hall
(All photos by Steve Cross.)
When The Spin arrived at City Hall at 8:30 p.m., Canadian lab-rockers Holy Fuck had already taken the stage with their bloopy, glitchy dance beats featuring bass, drums and two knob-twiddlers. There were a few vocoder-distorted lyrics, but mostly hunched-over, jammy grooves that blended into one big kaleidoscopic melty jam.
The crowd filled City Hall about a third full, and over the course of their nearly 30-minute set, we recognized a few songs, "Frenchy's" and "Lovely Allen," both off their full-length debut—songs that also appeared on their 2007 EP.
Nonetheless, for an instrumental set of escalating experimental jamz, it garnered a good crowd response. Already, we noticed said "crowd," full of greater racial diversity than one experienced at "most shows," and also full of young, three-weeks-into-turning-21 drinkers who twirled each other, wore outfits that were totally from Forever 21, and generally worked the whole hipsters trying to get away with it shtick that explains so many getups inspired by decades not actually lived/experienced. (Boots with orange fishnet socks and a turquoise onesie? Gross.)
Yes, we're talking about the '80s. People surely born no sooner than 1990 were spotted in Day-Glo, puffy jackets, pixelated logos, metallic shirts and metallic pants(!) and your general run-of-the-mill thriftstore rejects that the London nu-rave scene made popular again. That means headbands.
But it was a pulsating, mutating beat of awesome with Holy Fuck, and we found ourselves wishing that we still dosed up, or at least got really high sometimes. Soon, the set was over, and next, M.I.A.'s DJ Million $ Mano took the stage and launched into a pop-friendly set, beginning with Three 6 Mafia (as a shout-out to Tennessee), as well as Bell Biv Devoe (yep, "Poison"), Salt 'n' Pepa, The Outfield and a remix of Justice's smash hit "D.A.N.C.E." The club filled in, people looked like they suddenly wanted to draaaaaank and bodies were movin'. From here to Vanderbilt, people from all walks of life were workin' what their mama's gave them. M.I.A.'s music really is border-crossing, if you allow that to include crossing zip codes.
As the beats throbbed, people waved their hands in the air and got all stumbly and rowdy for M.I.A. It was 9:45 p.m.
When M.I.A. finally took the stage just after 10 p.m., she followed a backdrop video that played the radical election speech of Kouichi Touyama, a left-wing dissident who ran for Tokyo governor recently, and essentially indicated that elections are useless because they only cater to the majority, and that the country should be destroyed. A few people booed, but as the speech got nuttier and nuttier, the crowd cheered. We assume that's because white college kids will cheer for anything being destroyed.
Then M.I.A. came out in a shiny jacket of her own and said: "I didn't do a soundcheck today. So this is as real as you're gonna fuckin' get me, Nashville." She launched into "Bamboo Banga" and then "World Town" and played a set that incorporated Kala and Arular, all in front of a huge streaming video of machine guns, third-world images, Contra-looking palm trees, dancing and general Nintendo-like images, logos, lasers and gunnnnzzz.
The beats were hot and the thumps were primal, and we were treated to "Pull Up the People," the luscious "Sunshowers" that gave her backing vocalist a chance to belt it on the chorus and "$20," which has M.I.A. covering the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind." Then it was "$10" off her first record, a song about child prostitution that is oddly totally danceable and brought a big crowd of people on stage to shake their money makers.
That's the thing about M.I.A.: Violent terrorism never sounded so damn fun. Same goes for infectious disease: "Bird Flu" was a big hit, and an encore brought "Galang"—and crowd-surfing. Then we got "Amazon" and the big finish was of course the gunshots-for-beats "Paper Planes."
Comments
this show was so fucking awesome. only MIA could get a nashville crowd to dance!
Posted 05/06/2008 at 12:28:54 PMi haven't been made to feel like that at a show in frickin'4ever.
Posted 05/06/2008 at 12:33:29 PMthanks for summing up a great performance that, unfortunately, i missed most of due to being too far back to really see much. even still, it was worth the drive from memphis!
Posted 05/06/2008 at 12:53:25 PMc'mon brynne! you know they can't stand still for The Brotherhood either!
Posted 05/06/2008 at 01:00:57 PMIt would be nice to see one of these where a large portion of the review wasn't devoted to shit talking the crowd.
Posted 05/06/2008 at 01:11:07 PMbrynne...you were there? i did not see you and i needed a dance partner on stage
Posted 05/06/2008 at 01:37:53 PMHOW come every live show you people report about includes the fact that you were LATE again? You're always strolling in the middle of the openers set, or worse in the middle of the second act?
If I did that, I would have never known about the Figurines, Mary Timony, Blood Brothers, Stnnnng, Eastern Youth, and countless others.
You can liquored up *after* you get there.
Posted 05/06/2008 at 01:48:56 PMTry calling a club and finding out exactly when a band goes on. And then let us know how often that's accurate.
The crowd at a show is a big part of what the experience is like. M.I.A. was hard to predict, crowd-wise, but it was really a weird mix you don't normally see. And how they act, whether they dance, how much they drink, what they wear, what they yell all adds to the ambience and experience of a show. And in this case, their giddy drunken party-time vibe made the show feel like a big dance party. That can be both awesome and annoying, depending on you. The Spin goes to a ton of shows, so forgive us for being more sensitive to getting elbowed, stumbled over or being aesthetically offended more often than what might seem "normal."
Posted 05/06/2008 at 02:30:06 PMthat comment by the spin is really funny if you read it in the comic book guy from the Simpson's voice.
Posted 05/06/2008 at 02:37:16 PMThe show was absolutely amazing. She sounds better live than she does on the album...I just wish she played longer!! It was so great.
Posted 05/06/2008 at 02:43:09 PMHa, wh. Good point. We're kinda crotchety sometimes.
Posted 05/06/2008 at 02:44:37 PMC'mon. It is not cryptic when a show starts. You should know when to get to a show. After a while, one can start to expect when to get to certain venues to catch the whole show. You guys miss the first part of every show. It is disappointing to me that the nashville publication misses all the opening touring and local acts. You could actually do some good journalism and discover a new act for us. The readers of middle TN that love and trust your publication deserve more.
Posted 05/06/2008 at 03:31:55 PMI just realized that i may be picking on Seth directly. sorry man, but your letting me down.
can someone tell me some songs they know for sure were played by holy fuck?
Posted 05/06/2008 at 03:34:37 PMIt was pretty cryptic for this show. I had no idea if the show started at 8 or if doors were at 8 and City Hall has probably the least helpful website ever. Also, nobody ever answers their phones and I get to listen to a several month old voicemail message instead of getting an answer.
Posted 05/06/2008 at 05:52:10 PMShow times? WHat about the shows coming up at the Wildhorse. The Hives tickets say the show starts at 6. Is this true????
Posted 05/06/2008 at 11:10:12 PMso does The Spin have any more pctures of this night, especially of the boyz performance with the crowd on stage? I forgot my camera in my car and I ws lucky enough to be on stage with Maya and was seeing you guys had any. Thanks!
Posted 05/07/2008 at 12:18:42 PMI took some photos from the crowd. But unless you were the guy with the top-knot and the mesh shirt, I don't think I caught you.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/indierocklance/sets/72157604925286263/
Posted 05/07/2008 at 01:06:24 PMnice picks. there was also a guy that i was for sure was chris crocker (of youtube fame).
Posted 05/07/2008 at 01:44:40 PMThe rest of my pics are up on my flickr now-
Posted 05/07/2008 at 05:55:04 PMhttp://flickr.com/photos/simplysteve/sets/72157604937364138/
To the people who write the Spin:
I'm sorry that you think what the crowd does affects YOUR time at a show. I typically enjoy the shows for shows. If I depended upon Nashville crowds to determine my night, I would HATE everything. Which I suppose, explains your writing style. You guys always mention you're late to local shows constantly. Who doesn't know that a typical show in Nashville starts at 10? By now, you should know that. You should also know that Nashville crowds typically don't show up until the 2nd band often missing the first act. Which I also now know is you, the Spin.
I went to a Midlake show in Atlanta with a bunch of ALT yuppies. I hated the crowd, and they spilt beer and got in fights in front of me. But OH was MIdlake AMAZING.
SO fuck you . No, seriously. That's the biggest problem with Nashville. It's all about YOU. The audience and their host of demands and furthermore the journalists and theirs.
If you guys have such a hard job and you've been to SO many shows that you are burnt out by the first elbow nudge, then maybe you should send someone else to shows with a little more musical insight and a little less "OMG what is SHE wearing" in sight.
Seriously, this is music. I want to know about THAT. I don't give a SHIT what Neville Nobody is wearing or if their fists are pumping.
Posted 05/08/2008 at 01:56:54 PMA-typical:
You slam Spin for describing a crowd amid a much longer discussion of a concert. Then, in your example of a recent show you attended, you describe the crowdm how they acted and how you hated them, then limit your description of the music to "amazing."
Obviously, despite your intention, you're proving their point that people at public events do notice those around them. It affects the experience, and it's part of what most of us discuss after attending a public event.
Or are you suggesting the Spinsters do you what you say, not what you do?
Posted 05/09/2008 at 02:28:13 PMNo, Typical A, the problem with Nashville audiences is all the people who pretend the audience is someone other than themselves. Don't worry, though: I'm sure you really were the only cool person at the Midlake show.
Posted 05/09/2008 at 04:16:47 PMYou are both missing my point. MackTenn, I wasn't reviewing a show. I'm not a journalist and it is nor my responsibility nor my profession to report on Nashville shows and give a REVIEW of the SHOW. I'm reviewing their review. I was simply saying that I don't understand why a Spin writer would choose to include the audience's all too typical behavior. They always describe audiences exactly how audiences behave. Look man, to the both of you (Beer Frame who is probably the same guy), all I'm saying is the experience of a show should be the writer's or listener's response to the music and how it affected THEM.
(you in this instance being reviewers)
Did it make YOU dance? Were YOU moved by the emotion of the music? How did YOU think the band sounded live? That's what I'm looking for.
You guys can get on here and try to slam and pick on me for trying honestly to make a valid point. And maybe I shouldn't have said such childish things as fuck you to the spin writers I don't even know. But I like music. I like to hear about music especially music I wasn't fortunate enough to attend. I already know how an audience is going to be. My Midlake comment was strictly to point out the fact that crowds behave the same way in every city.
So I'll say it again, could the Spin please focus more on the aspects of the shows and less on the audience which includes crowd size which I find irrelevant??
Posted 05/11/2008 at 12:09:52 AMPlay a show here followed by a show in Huntsville or Chattanooga, then tell me crowds behave the same way in every city.
Posted 05/11/2008 at 04:32:12 PM