FOLIO
by Jack Diablo
Electro-indie-pop duo The Ting Tings played to a sold out Jack Rabbits crowd on March 26. Much dancing and frivolity ensued.
Just two years ago, The Ting Tings were still playing house shows in Manchester, UK and have since become an overnight sensation. The band’s success can be credited to having their catchy dance single, ‘Shut Up And Let Me Go,’ featured on an iPod commercial and the instant exposure available via MySpace. Venture out onto the dance floor of any club with even a touch of hipster cred and you’ll no doubt hear one of their songs and succumb to the beat.
The opening act was three-piece girly hip-hop group, Hot Tub, who shouted raunchy rhymes over old-school hip hop beats creating something that can only be described as obnoxious and nauseating. Dressed in prom dresses, cut-up fishnets and various other staples of ironic 80s fashion, they attempted to channel Cindy Lauper or Blondie as they spewed lyrics about male inadequacy and the state of their own sexual organs. At one point, one of the members jumped into the crowd to knock over a trash can and kick beer bottles around on the ground. For their grand finale, two of them mimed performing sexual acts on one another which a lesbian friend of mine rated as a four on a scale of one to ten. Say what you will about the subject matter, the gimmicks they employed fell short of the target. Some of the crowd actually seemed to enjoy such shocking sensationalism, but I was merely annoyed. If you want to see this kind of act done right, you need look no further than local act, Heavy Flow. They know what they are doing.
To be honest, I am a little tired of indie dance music. Some of it is quite good but a large majority of it is trite, formulaic, and altogether uninspired. That being said, this was the first sold out show at Jack Rabbits I’ve been to in quite some time and I have to admit I actually enjoyed watching The Ting Tings perform. The energy was high and the music was not over produced or pre-recorded. It makes all the difference in the world when a band utilizes real instruments in addition to their synthesizers. Watching Jules DeMartino play guitar and drums at the same time was quite impressive and Katie White is simply a vision with the perfect voice for what they do.
It’s safe to say that nearly everyone there woke up the next morning a little sore from all the dancing. It was altogether a night of sass and hot, sweaty fun!
Follow FOLIO!