Euphoric blasts of noise caromed off the low ceiling. Deep, thundering drums reverberated through the crowded floor. The band’s screeching, distorted, yet sweet melodic pop could hardly be contained in such a small space. The music, once obscure, was now a bonding force, creating the classic concert feeling that everyone was united by the energy of sound. Deerhoof may have started on the fringes of the avant-garde, and they may now be considered veterans in the indie-experimental genre, but they are nothing if not rock and roll.
The concert was Saturday night in Northampton, with Father Murphy and Xiu Xiu performing earlier on the bill. It was thanks to these bands as well that such an incredible night of live music took place.
Father Murphy is an experimental trio from Italy who opened the show with chanting vocals, black metal guitars and the sounds and percussion of traditional Chinese music. Xiu Xiu is another fixture of experimental indie-rock, with singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart and multi-instrumentalist Angela Seo. Together they performed Stewart’s dark but sublimely beautiful compositions.
Due to long sound checks, possibly because of technical difficulties, the show got off to a late start. Xiu Xiu unfortunately was not allowed to perform their last song, creating a brief tension between them and the sound crew. However, this was resolved when Deerhoof took the stage. Even though their set started almost thirty minutes late, they played every song in their repertoire, and were called back on stage for two encores. The second time, Father Murphy and Xiu Xiu joined the band on stage to cover Joy Division, decisively ending the show on a positive note.
Deerhoof’s main set drew heavily on their recent work, featuring songs like “Milk Man,” the title track of their 2004 album, and “Fresh Born,” off of “Offend Maggie.” The group’s sound rides on dense distorted twelve-string guitars, played by Ed Rodriguez and John Dieterich. The pair has remarkable chemistry, weaving melodies up, over and around each other, and breaking down in explosions of feedback and noise.
Underpinning the groups sound is Greg Saunier’s furiously spastic drumming, which fills the spaces in between the guitars with thick walls of percussion. Saunier’s rhythm is sometimes straight ahead rock, but other times it is looser, with hits falling in between the beat. His energy drives the music forward at breakneck speed.
The final ingredient to Deerhoof’s sound is Satomi Matsuzaki on lead vocals and bass. Her cute, poppy, and often minimalist singing contrasts starkly with the other instruments. She also makes Deerhoof’s stage show incredibly dynamic, hopping and jumping around the stage, duck walking with Rodriguez, or making choreographed arm motions along with the music. For the first encore she climbed up on an extra drummers throne to lead the crowd as they sang along, then jumped down and leaped about flailing her arms and legs every direction, yet despite her bouncing stage presence, she hardly missed a note. Her voice rang clear above the crushing waves of background noise.
As a testament to their versatility and experience, the members of Deerhoof often switched instruments during the set. At one point a full rotation occurred. Rodriguez moved to bass and Matsuzaki to drums, and Dietrich took Rodriguez’s guitar so that Saunier could take his. Saunier then sang lead vocals on a cover of the Byrds.
All in all, Deerhoof’s performance was spectacular. Their stage presence and tight musicianship was befitting of a band that has been around in one form or another for over fifteen years. There’s no end in sight either, as they’ve just recorded a new album this summer. Entitled, “Deerhoof vs. Evil,” it is currently in the mixing stages and is expected to be released some time in the next few months. They played one of the new songs on Saturday, and if it’s anything to go by, it seems they’ve further honed their innovative blend of noise melodic pop music.
Andrew Cogan can be reached at [email protected].
