Simian Mobile Disco and The Whip - Thekla, Bristol - 14/2/08
4/5
By: Jacob Dunkley
For those of us that might be single, Valentines' Day is usually considered one of those awkward days you kind of want to forget about. However, when given the option of either staying in and watching paint dry in Exeter, or make the trip up to go an see Simian Mobile Disco and The Whip, on a boat in the Bristol harbour....well, I didn't really have a decision to make.
The Whip are one of those bands I'd been meaning to catch live for a while, having become mildly obsessed with their single 'Divebomb', and enjoying everything else I heard to boot. And yep, despite the cramped stage conditions, and limited time available to them, The Whip completely blew me away. They opened with last single 'Sister Siam', before working their way through a polished 5 song set, which although short, left a lasting impression. The highlights were an extended reworking of the aforementioned 'Divebomb', which as an instrumental electro track, is reminiscent of Daft Punk, and the closer 'Trash', which echoes The Rapture fighting New Order. This is a band with a strong future - the album's out in March. Colour me excited.
By the time the mastermind electro/house duo that is Simian Mobile Disco arrive on stage, the Thekla has transformed from a beautifully converted boat into a packed sweaty dance club, with an elaborate lighting rig behind the duo. Although SMD are best known for a series of great remixes, they are a pair who have an increasingly been able to hold their own in a scene which they are building a much deserved cult following. Last year saw the release of their first album and live reworkings of tracks such as 'It's The Beat' formed the basis of a strong live performance from a pairing that are perhaps more used to DJ sets than live shows, although if that's the case, tonight set masked it. Theirs was an excellent performance which took hold of the crowd from start to finish, without ever threatening to let go. It would be interesting to see how Simian Mobile Disco coped in some of the larger venues on the tour such as the Astoria, but tonight for well over an hour they took control of the Thekla and made it their own.
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