The 20^th installment of the Noise Pop music festival was in full swing in San Francisco last week. Last Tuesday night was highlighted by the colorful stage show of the Flaming Lips playing to a packed house at the less than 700-person capacity venue Bimbo’s 365 Club. I was disappointed not to have landed a ticket to this sold out show. Fortunately for me, Wayne Coyne wasn’t the only one who brought a vibrant lightshow and props to town for the festival. Born Gold was one of four artists that played the sold out concert bill at the Rickshaw Stop on Wednesday night. This show also included fellow Canadian Grimes co-headlining with oOoOO.

Hailing from Edmonton, the three-piece experimental pop band took the stage and requested all of the lights be turned off. Once the darkness had set in, explosions of red LED lights erupted in unison with blaring synth and glitchy drums. The sleeves of Cecil Frena’s, leader of the space carnival, leather jacket began to illuminate with bright rolling white lights. If there is a familiar image to go along with a space creature abduction – this can’t be too far off. His friend soon left the stage to join us in the crowd wearing stilts and carrying a shovel that was strapped with a mixer.

Frena beamed powerful flashlights out at us as he slowly scanned over the crowd. The band members walked through the crowd hitting drumsticks together during the intro to “Lawn Knifes” off Bodysongs. Shortly after joining us, they dropped helmets onto their heads and began drumming on the helmets while the lights flashed violently. The crowd became a part of the show as a large black cloth surfed over the crowd with a pulsating strobe light that traveled along with it. As if our senses weren’t already stimulated, Frena’s friends danced in synch with Chinese fans that shot out rays of light. Prior to leaving the stage, Frena (looking like a hipper version of John C. Reilly in the lights) thanked us for listening to their weird music.

Following a strong witch house set from oOoOO, Born Gold jumped back onstage to back Grimes for nearly her entire set. Born Gold is definitely best at owning their live shows. Not taking anything away from their great studio material, but it is nearly impossible to get bored when Born Gold is onstage. The only thing I wish that they wouldn’t have done is to have changed their name from Gobble Gobble to Born Gold. It is way more fun to say Gobble Gobble!

Make sure to check this must see live band when they make a stop near you and stay up to date with all things Born Gold on Facebook and Twitter

Upcoming Tour Dates

02-27 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room*

02-29 - Austin, TX - Lambert's*

03-01 - Denton, TX - Dan's Silverleaf*

03-02 - New Orleans, LA - LBC Quad (Tulane University)*

03-03 - Oxford, MS - Cats Purring Dude Ranch*

03-04 - Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree

03-05 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn*

03-06 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum*

03-07 - Orlando, FL - Backbooth*

03-08 - Miami, FL - Bardot Miami*

03-09 - Savannah, GA - Savannah Stopover Fest*

03-10 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506^

03-11 - Columbus, OH - The Basement

03-13 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry*

03-14 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle*

03-15 - Austin, TX - SXSW

03-16 - Austin, TX - SXSW

03-17 - Austin, TX - SXSW

03-19 - Toronto, Ontario - Legendary Horseshoe Tavern*

03-20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox*

03-21 - Baltimore, MD - Str8 Cavin*

03-22 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie*

03-23 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge*

03-24 - Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands*

03-26 - Allston, MA - Great Scott*

03-28 - Peterborough, ON - The Spill

03-29 - Wakefield, QC - Black Sheep Inn

03-30 - Rochester, NY - Bug Jar

03-31 - Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret Mile End*

* with Grimes
^ with Bleeding Rainbow

Last night at Glasslands started out casual enough, being a Tuesday and all. There ended up being only two bands on the bill, so the crowd had extra time to hang out and partake of the photo booth after a couple rounds of drinks. Then, Snakes Say Hiss went on.

Snakes Say Hiss

This Philadelphia-based indie band came across like more like a blend of the more emo side of rock with electro, like maybe what could happen if a band like Taking Back Sunday teamed with M.I.A, and then went on a hardcore drinking binge. Singer Jamie Ayers employed techniques such as wrapping the mic cord around his neck, dropping to his knees and singing with his forehead on the stage, but then jumping up to emphasize the drum beats and crash some cymbals with the microphone. He mostly stumbled around the small stage, as if overwhelmed with deep, intoxicated emotion, and took what looked like some pretty hard falls. A few times he teetered precariously at the edge of the stage, prompting the people at the front of the crowd to act as his spotters. To his credit though, he didn’t seem to miss a vocal cue. Despite all his wild and slightly alarming movements, he powered through his lyrics without the slightest waver.

Born Gold Shovel Hype

Born Gold could quite possibly take the prize for the most action packed live show I’ve seen this year. I was simply unprepared for the all-out circus spectacle these guys put on. They came to party, and party everyone did. Born Gold is the reincarnation of Gobble Gobble, spawned from a disco ball in a circus tent from space, and work out to intergalactic electro Wii.

Cecil Frena

Maestro Cecil Frena took up the whole stage, manning a table filled with every electronic instrument imaginable (and unimaginable – I’m pretty sure he invented some of them). His voice rang out like an electro alien while he danced and controlled both sound and lights with his Wii remote, looking like the Greek God of Party. His two bandmates, who were matching in black mesh tanks and tiny silver metallic shorts, set up on the floor in front of the stage with samplers, drum machine, drum, and lots o’ random electronicals (I just made that word up, but it feels appropriate). They had handmade guitars, looking something like more sophisticated versions of the cigar box guitar, along with shovel guitars – basically small snow shovels with samplers strapped on. These shovels were also used as crowd hyping tools, being lifted high over head like staffs of raucous.

Throughout the set the two drummers in front wielded all sorts of props. Besides the multi-purpose shovels, they had giant drum heads they thrust into the crowd for everyone to beat on, donned metallic football helmets, waved white sheets like streamers, and even put on stilts to walk through the crowd in. These hyperactive dudes are extremely in shape, because they did not stop moving the entire time. This includes a choreographed dance routine they also threw in. If they weren’t dancing or beating on drums, they were hyping the crowd, high-fiving as many hands as possible, and crowd surfing. Something exuberant was happening at every second, and Glasslands was for all intents and purposes a party playground.

Born Gold is a 100% audience participatory band, getting people to dance, clap, take their shirts off, and bang drums. It was like a total sensory overload whirlwind, and everyone left sweaty as hell, with a huge cheesy grin on their face. Oof.

This show also marked the release of Born Gold’s debut LP Bodysongs, which no doubt will make you start your own bedroom party. Wii and fog machines not included. The band is off to tour Canada, but they will be back for CMJ. Keep in touch with them on Facebook for more info.

Photos (c) Kelly Knapp