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Seattlest Pix 09Nov25
Can't Miss It: Thanksgiving Eve
Monday night's Kid Koala show was on the other end of the "change" spectrum from last weekend's Jamie Lidell show. While the Lidell show was about how things stay the same (although a good same), the Kid Koala show was all about change (or at least doing things differently). While most people were in attendance for Kid Koala's playful DJing, Seattlest was most intrigued to see openers Fog, who have made a huge departure from their original sound.
Seattlest hadn't heard from Minneapolis' Fog in years, not since they played with Plan B and FCS North at least 4 years ago at the long-gone I-Spy. At that point they were touring in support of their eponymous Ninja Tune album, an almost impossibly dense work that the band describes as "one-man-bed-ridden-folk-hop-lo-fi-tronica" (think Four Tet with slightly more rock inclination). Featuring a plethora of samples and heavy use of turntables with occasional bits of guitar, the material was incredibly experimental and hard to digest in even multiple listens, but there was something incredibly intriguing to it all. Well that was then and Fog has largely left the turntables behind, becoming a strict rock three-piece. They still employ the occasional sample and scratches, but live at least, it's rock all the way.
Based on their own site, we went into the experience knowing that it'd be something entirely new, and only hoped that we'd get to hear a retooled version of "Pneumonia," the standout track from their debut. That didn't happen, and instead we found ourselves alternately engaged and bored by what we were hearing. At times there were elements of the experimentation that we enjoyed so much, but at others Fog was "just another rock band." We were left really wanting to hear more of their recorded material (a good thing, right?), but we couldn't help but be a little disappointed as well. After bursting forth with so many ideas that "challenging" was an understatement, how could Fog even dip their toes into the waters of mediocrity? We aren't sure, but we're hoping that some answers (and aural challenges) can be found in their discography.
More on Kid Koala's part of the night after the jump.
Kid Koala took to the stage and gave the crowd his interpretation of a turntablist performance. Considering the take he has on his merch (aprons and oven mitts to go along with the traditional hoodies and t-shirts), Koala's performance was equally quirky, with not only exhibitions in turntablism (scratching, beat juggling, etc.), but storytelling and a cooking demo (we've heard, we didn't stick around for the whole set). Seriously, no shortage of personality there.
What struck us most about Kid Koala wasn't the fact that he knew how to make his time on stage his own, but his absolute refusal to put himself above his audience. It's a cliché to say that some stars get caught up in stardom, but Kid Koala mingled before the show, talked about his new wife, and treated the audience not as a cash cow, but as friends. Neumos wasn't a performance space, but a makeshift living room, Kid Koala playing host to over a hundred of his closest friends. With his mix of skill and track selection (Radiohead, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys) and harrowing tales of marriage and publication, we're looking forward to being invited to Kid Koala's living room again.
Image from flickr user Noah Adams
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