– THE RITZ, MANCHESTER –
The night is brisk and the age range trickling into the Ritz are almost as many balding heads in number as there are sprouting ones, at least at first. Django Django are following up the release of their long awaited, self-titled album, with a UK tour. The second night of which is taking place at Manchester’s near-grandiose Ritz.
GULP open the ambience with a slow, slightly melancholic set. Next up is Egyptian Hip-Hop, the four piece Manchester band, who rose to fame in 2009, do not – contrary to their name – play protest songs from Egypt. Their electro-punk, Cure-esque sounds are a good prelude to the eclectic energy of the Django’s and their frenetic movements mirror the music, from sedentary to wildly explosive – some serious guitar ‘thrashing’ here.
The main guns of the night Django Django deliver a well-orchestrated and uncontrived choreographed set; their echoic male harmonies, indie foundations and heartbeat pulse of synths rise incrementally into action over an elongated introduction. As do the visuals, created by artist Kim Coleman – a series of projections that are displayed onto two-way screens that emulate office blinds at the back of the band. ‘Hail Bop’ is their first track and their new single, it’s a not overly catchy song with a 60’s surf feel Described as ‘A comet – and dually – waiting for something to come around and then it’s gone‘. With the track three giant light bulbs appear, one behind each of the screens, they dangle and flaunt their gargantuan filaments as a scene from a 1950’s spy is projected onto the front. Now I’m eyes, ears, mouth and toes.
They have a genuine unfettered yet humble appearance, one still keen to get a crowd with penguin-like movements gyrating. Penguins gyrating – I’ve got to be a part of this. They send out their songs and I think of the exposé the band have done on their new album available on Spotify where they explain the origins of the songs; from nihilistic; Default – ‘a series of put down cliché’s aimed at no-one’, through substantial; WOR ‘ Slamming doors in hell (a line from the song) is about nuclear war but on a personal level it’s also about domestic abuse’ too tangibly abstract; Waveforms ‘Dancing with a tear in your eye; euphoria and melancholy’.
A lull in the tempo, with ‘Hands of Man’, which can only be an intentional juxtaposition to what will emerge next. Of course, at this point, front man Vinny Neff whips out his coconuts, this wasn’t the Holy Grail of the event but steps along the way and he clacks together to the track. ‘Zumm Zumm’ is intoxicating, a largely minimal-techno track with a 60’s interlude. The Django’s have their influences as every band does and if you listen hard enough, you can always infer something, but originality is in the mix – indie, electro-punk, No Wave, minimal techno – they have fused together a sound that has legs, legs that will mean this can’t be everything. Their sound is as invigorating, upbeat and vibrant as the general consensus of reviews lead us to believe. Django Django have delivered a brilliant live set; one for the easily bored, the dancers, the watchers, the drinkers and the gyrating penguins.
