Caribou + Four Tet, The Zoo, 15th Feb 2011

So from now on I promise to update this blog more regularly than what is disgustingly going on now. If I were a reviewer for a proper site with pay or some sort of renumeration, I'd be fired immediately. This just won't do and I demand improvements from myself.

Now that's all over, over to you at the gig, Stephanie from the 15 day old past.

The pairing of electronic gurus Four Tet and Caribou couldn't have been better timed (*cough*) two weeks ago, as they both released critically acclaimed and pleasantly popular albums early last year, giving me (because this is all about me) plenty of time to get accustomed. I became particularly immersed in Caribou's 'Swim', obsessed not only with "Odessa" as you know already, but the entire record. Four Tet's 'There is Love In You' is also haunting, delicate and terrific.

With that, the Zoo on Tuesday was particularly packed, as they played a sold out show to a sea of electro fans, or as much of a sea you can fit into a tiny room.

The Zoo is another favourite venue, not because of its quality, although it's pretty good for what it is, but because of the relaxed, easy going vibe, the simple set up and location, and not to mention their typically cheaper door price. However the size and it's lack of air conditioning made the full capacity venue a little uncomfortable particularly towards the end, although the more passive, pleasant crowd assisted in still making the show an enjoyable experience.

Openers Frolix did not have much of a crowd to entertain initially, but their very short (20 minutes?) set showcased ambient, dark synth and beats, with aphex-twin-esque vocals, which were a nice intro into the type of gig this would become. They would probably have sounded more polished on CD but made a nice background soundtrack to settling in for the evening.

Four Tet came on quite subtly in a bright yellow shirt, in case you weren't sure if he was the dj or not. He played an hour long set, involving a selection of 'There is Love In You', some 'Everything Ecstatic' and probably lots of other recordings that I need to probably purchase tomorrow. It was quite brilliant how he effortlessly switched from one track to the next to create a flowing, pulsing vibe. I never really got into 'rave' music or whatever you might call it, but this was the closest I have come... the slick, powerful beats and otherworldly samples moved the audience, including myself into a zombie like trance. "Angel Echoes" was a particular highlight, a dark, flowing, eerie pattern which I really loved on the record and especially enjoyed dancing to. "Joy" got the crowd really moving and was extended for some time as one of the last tracks he played. It was exciting to hear what he would bring in next, but at the same time I never wanted what I was hearing already to stop. Like going to a shitty club to dance, but with interesting, amazing music, that you couldn't HELP but dance to. I didn't know what I expected, but I was really pleasantly surprised to be so mesmerized by the music.

After Four Tet finally took his hands off the deck and bowed himself out, it was sad to see him disappear off stage, but also exciting to know what would be next. After a short wait, on came Caribou in full band mode, drumkits, guitars, macs and synths. Without much fanfare, "Kaili" started up from 'Swim', synth and voice blasting us in the eardrums. It was clear from the very beginning that a lot of Caribou's vocals are probably sung very quietly and precisely, which meant that live it was less polished, a little wobbly, and not very clear, given the change in volume and space. He sounded okay, but it gave the music a bit less sheen, and brought down the quality of the songs a little too significantly. The music still sounded great, and it was an exciting opener.

All that kind of fell apart when the Mac also, fell apart. Too much heat (only one song in!) meant the program they were running crashed, and after a few attempts, an impromptu acoustic version of "Hello Hammerheads" (from 'The Milk of Human Kindness'), and a bunch of well placed electric fans later, the band decided to completely change computers, and it was a few minutes before things were back in business.

Luckily it was all smooth sailing from then on. As they played a great deal of 'Swim' tracks as well as a few off 'Andorra', the vocal sound issues were overshadowed by the excellent musicianship, particularly the insanely good drummer. Holy shit, if I could do anything as good as that guy could drum, I'd be a happy, possibly rich lady. That dude belt the absolute shit out of those drums, which really made the show, as so much of Caribou's work is so driven by and dependent on the drums.

This was also like going to a club to dance, but in a completely different style, context, vibe, feeling. There were moments of joy and bliss as in "Memory Day", deep and dark moments a la "Odessa" and just plain moving your feets and slightly rocking moments such as "Bowls" and "Sun", their encore song.

As a whole, the night was an interesting mix. It was quite incredible to see how different two artists that share many similarities, sound so different side by side, due to differences in style, context, and just the live experience itself (dj set vs live band). I was really glad to have experienced it and apart from technical problems, it probably wouldn't have been at all the same experience with each band on their own, and definitely not as interesting.

Hmm, a shorter review, but my new thing is trying not to waffle on, which I hope I remember tomorrow in a job interview I will be suffering. Procrastination is my best learnt skill...

Caribou and Four Tet get seven and a half Korgs!