Django Django just sounds musical, even if you didn’t know that was the name of an eclectic experimental psychedelic band from London. The term “psychedelic” is used broadly here, more in the way that Django Django creates unique musical paths that make take a few listens to wrap your mind around, instead of just wah wah guitar effects. Last Thursday, the band played an added second show in NYC, since tickets to their Bowery Ballroom show sold (out) so well. As it were, they spent their last night in the city adoring their Brooklyn fans at Knitting Factory.
The foursome all dressed similarly, with burgundy and blue patterned shirts that looked handmade, and cuffed jeans of varying tightness. They were all slightly differing variations of the prehistoric emo caricature, in their own cool, Scottish psych Krautrock breeze-pop kind of ways. This was just another extension of their creative DIY minds, but the real outlet was, of course, the music. Drummer/producer David Maclean brought a cardboard box to aid his traditional kit, and “synth operator” Tommy Grace was locked on two sides inside a keyboard cage, with various other percussive instruments about him, such as a tambourine the size of a full moon.
Guitarist/vocalist Vincent Neff and bassist/vocalist Jimmy Dixon rounded out the front of the stage with their inventive, minimalist pop melodies and super on-point harmonies. Even when they had some issues with buzzing monitors, and ended up replacing one and turning the other completely off, Dixon just made a joke that that was actually a new song they were working on, and then they went right into another song, still managing to sound like two voices merging flawlessly into one. With seemingly inherent ability to use whatever you happen to have, they seemed to have this universal philosophy that no matter the limited resources, magic can still be made, especially if you can raid an elementary school for all those auxiliary percussion instruments most of us haven’t touched since first grade, like wooden blocks, maracas, and coconuts.
Neff was also way more of a hype man that one might assume on first glance. Not that it took much to get the crowd cheering an involved. On introducing “Firewater,” he announced, “This song is about getting drunk!” He was very fond of whoops and raising his hands in the air, like a conductor poising the crowd for praise and applause. “How you doing Williamsburg?!” he shouted several times, and the answer was always the same affirmation.
They took us to Cairo with “Skies Over Cairo,” then to the beach with…yep, “Life’s a Beach.” Then Neff announced that they were going to play their last song of the evening, “…and I’d like to say that this is going to be ‘WOR!’” He gave another yip into the mic and the band went into their pounding but layered tribal beats and ‘wor’ whoops.
No way Brooklyn was going to let that actually be their last song though, and for their encore we got “Zumm Zumm.” For this actual final number, all three front men got behind the keyboard rig, looking like wizards manning a synth spaceship, before filtering back out to engage the crowd, and making it a party till the very last note of the set.
Django Django have more shows in the UK before taking a turn around Europe, after which they return home before the very end of the year. Check out their YouTube page for tons of videos, and their Mixcloud for some band-curated playlists, and join the liking party on Facebook.