This thursday, Deerhoof played another sold out show on their tour promoting their newest album, (see below for review) Offend Maggie. The Middle East is a great place to see a very loud, very intimate show. The venue is literally underground, it's built underneath of the bar and much smaller venue above. There's also no barricade, so if you get a good spot its just like being on stage with the band.
The show itself fell nothing short of what you would expect from a relatively underground band playing quite the underground show (sorry, couldn't resist). The show was very loud, very fast, and very...odd. Although the bands guitars and Satomi Matsuzaki's vocals usually take precedence on their records, drummer Greg Saunier without a doubt stole the show. His style alone is an exhausting combination of Mitch Mitchell and Keith Moon, with flailing elbows and nearly frightening grimaces. He often played more like he was attacking the drum set rather than keeping the rhythm.
Satomi on the other hand stood off to the left, isolated from the higher-octane members of the band. Rather than Saunier, it was really up to her to keep rhythm and remain the calm in the storm. Notably, she came on stage for the encore donning a massive tiger's head. She also skateboarded on and off of the stage.
The band played a lot from the new album, but also indulged in crowd-favorites, "Milk Man" and "Twin Killers". Save some drunks being thrown out of the club (and even that was entertaining) it was definitely a pleasant and exhausting experience. I would highly recommend seeing the band's live show, but only if you're a fan of their material. Otherwise you're in for an evening of very loud and very strange music.
For more information on Deerhoof's tour, album, etc., visit http://deerhoof.killrockstars.com/
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