you're my number one guy / number one guy

HOT CHIP

On the eve of Australia Day, the night before Big Day Out, I treated myself to a blissful night spent in the privacy of my love for Hot Chip. I had already had the best night of my life before the gig even started, as I waited outside Billboard in China Town. A dimunitive man wearing glasses and an unbelievably colourful t-shirt wandered past, none other than frontman Alexis Taylor himself...

"Hey Alexis, can't wait to see you tonight man!"

"Cheers dude"

But then he was gone, only to resurface two hours later at the front of one of my favourite bands to play an electric live set. But I'm getting ahead of myself, or rather, getting ahead of the support act which played before them.

Architecture in Helsinki

Two indie hipsters with a large, camoflouage netting-covered "trolley" bulging with musical equipment, helped along with swigs of Jameson whiskey. They weren't named on the ticket, or announced, and to be honest, I didn't recognize them, not only because there's actually five of them in their band, but also because they looked like they'd just walked off Brunswick St (whereas they are actually from Northcote...) Playing an eclectic mix of smooth vocal edits fused with 80's beats, culminating in this Metronomy mix, the only one of its kind I could find on the interweb...

Architecture in Helsinki - A Thing For Me Remix

The only reason I know it was them was because Hot Chip's spokesman/guitarist mentioned it during their performance, while giving a shout-out to TV On The Radio and Lupe Fiasco, the latter clearly visible grooving in the wings.

Hot Chip's set list:

One Pure Thought

Bendable Poseable

Shake A Fist

And I Was A Boy From School

Hold On

Alley Cats (new song)

Touch Too Much

Over and Over

Out At The Pictures

Ready for The Floor

My Piano

No Fit State

Nothing Compares 2 U (Sinead O'Connor/Prince cover)

...of which I'm hosting/relinking One Pure Thought, a song I've often overlooked but now, having seen it open their live set twice in 24 hours, can fully appreciate. From the fuzzed-out opening chords played by a man who clearly can't get enough of his own velvet jacket to the "electro-bongo-breakdown" at about 00.47s in: fantastic. Be champions.

Hot Chip - One Pure Thought

Simian Mobile Disco

Caught a really good show by these guys at the Boiler Room yesterday; they opened with this song which has definitely been overshadowed on Attack Decay Sustain Release by It's the Beat, Hustler, and I Believe. Which demonstrates their consistency, if nothing else. Plus, they play with a little box with cords coming out of it, entrancing.

Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation

Other music:

XXXChange's remix of Thom Yorke's Eraser has racked up about 80 listens on my itunes last week alone; even diehard Radiohead fans ("experts") like Calum Field agree on its virtuosity, as the mix adds another dimension to Yorke's stripped-back solo work.

Other songs piquing my earbuds are...

2080 by Yeasayer, Radiohead's Reckoner, the Breeder's beautiful Night of Joy, and Air's soundtrack title to the Virgin Suicides; Playground Love. All worth checking out.