whoa. I just got back from the Juno Reactor show down at First Avenue. It was pretty darn good. The first time I saw them, a few years back, I just happened to be in the area with nothing to do and thought that perhaps this was a band that might be better live than on their CD so what the heck. As soon as I stepped through the doors the hair on the back of my neck stood on end -- the place was crackling with electricity (not literally) and I saw one of the best concerts ever. I had an idea of what to expect tonight so I wasn't quite so impressed, but the show was very good.
If you haven't heard/seen Juno Reactor, imagine this: Mix up some techno/electro/raver beats with some intense tribal drumming by five guys from South Africa (apparently) and keep it paced above 120 bpm (ideally faster) and you'll get an idea of what the show is like. But not really. Add in that these guys are barefoot and shirtless, wearing tribal head-dress, bead necklaces, skirt/wraps, goat-skin shin things and have face paint on. Add in that they all drum and play animal horn horns. Add in acrobatic stunts and flying somersaults. Add in relentless body-shaking bass. And a little white guy with keyboards and a guitar. Intense. Tribal. Electro. Beat.
Oh, and another cool thing - the lead vocalist guy from South Africa sang a song in Xhosa. Xhosa is instantly recognizable as it is the "clicking" language. Did you ever see "The Gods Must Be Crazy"? The little guy in there spoke Xhosa. The clicks and pops are typically signified by a ! symbol in English.
The opening act was Medicine Drum and I'd put them in the Tribal Electro Gypsy Raver category. Pretty cool stuff and I think I'll be searching out their CD for my collection. They sold out at the show so either they had very few discs or the crowd likewise appreciated their style. Featuring drums, violin, keyboard and funky dreamy ethnic-sounding female vocals soaring through the songs -- wow. Nice.
Too bad you missed it! You may have to wait another two years...