Photography by DT
Those who’ve been lucky enough to see Simian Mobile Disco live know that their shows are like no other. Their samples are eclectic, their sound is electric, and their energy is, well, orgasmic. Luckily, on March 12, two of us ‘Beez were able to hit up SMD’s live set at the Commodore Ballroom thanks to Sealed with a Kiss, and the DJ duo from England did not disappoint.
Opening the North American leg of their 24-city tour, SMD’s stage set consisted of a small mountain of intricately tangled wires and machines sitting center stage bordered by a semi-circle of light stands. At around 10:30 p.m., smoke filled the stage and two skinny blokes dressed in nondescript dark button downs and pants snuck out on stage to begin their set. The duo slowly revved the crowd up, getting our heart rates going with crescendos of sirens over a steady beat. The effect was similar to a rocket ship taking off – the anticipation in the room was thick enough to smell. But within five minutes, the entire audience was moving up and down to the haunting, pounding track “Sleep Deprivation” off of SMD’s first studio album Attack Decay Sustain Release (2007).
Without hesitation, SMD, which consists of James Ford and James Anthony Shaw, dove right into their next track, knowing exactly where they were going but leaving the crowd constantly wondering. By now, their light show was also in full effect. Consisting of blue, green and red lights with blinding flashes of white lights interspersed, the lights ran perfectly in sync with the music and created an almost hypnotic effect in the room. Their performance is just as much visual as it is aural. Quick beams of light allow you to barely make out Ford and Shaw hovering over their set piece on an otherwise darkened stage.
With the tracks flowing right into the next and live remixes of many of their tracks, it becomes difficult to pinpoint exactly which tracks are performed, but the crowd doesn’t seem to mind. Two guys are busy stage-diving, several are crowd-surfing and the rest of the audience is simply immersed in SMDS’s consistent, hypnotic beat. Known for their heavily stylized tracks, SMD’s sound consists of minimal instrumentation but rather powerful hooks over layered, hollow-sounding beats. During their live shows, they keep the beats going and throw in recognizable hooks from their singles like “It’s the Beat” and “I Believe.”
After a short break, SMD are back on stage and start up the second half of their set with their newest single “10,000 Horses Can’t Be Wrong” off their forthcoming album set to drop this year. While songs off this new album have been kept under wraps, a taste of them makes it clear to see that their current work is a continuation of the highly-addictive sound they laid down in the first album. Their newer songs actually might be a little less mainstream (none of the newer songs they played had vocal samples) and are definitely more instrumentally based. However, they still have that heart-pumping beats which is what SMD is all about.
An SMD show wouldn’t be complete without a performance of their single “Hustler.” The track accompanied by an intense light show made up of red and white lights reignited the crowd and definitely brought down the house. When the song was over, Ford and Shaw simply waved goodbye and walked off the stage – pretty low key for as much talent as they have.
While the smoke in the air dispersed, a sweaty yet notably satisfied crowd filed out of the Commodore and headed down the street to Republic, where SMD were scheduled to perform a DJ set at the official after party. Special thanks again to Sealed with a Kiss, who continues to bring in stellar international acts into Vancouver. There’s no doubt that much of Vancouver will be waiting with baited breath for SMD’s new album to drop.
Check out the rest of our photos on our Flickr page, www.flickr.com/photos/killahbeez.
