Hot Chip

British electro rockers Hot Chip leap between insanely bouncy pop and slightly more subtle electronic musings on their albums, but their live show forgets preciousness and brings on the dance party. Terminal 5 was packed with beer-splashers Saturday night as the once dance club remembered its beginnings and saw three floors of fans surge in waves of crazy movement. Pushing nerd to the peak of cool, these five partied under a seizure-inducing light display and showed the audience what a bunch of guys can do with an unusually high number of synthesizers. Singer on the higher register Alexis Taylor hopped around with the buoyancy of a rabbit and proved to all that turquoise hammer pants are now back in. His modestly buttoned formal shirt was shed for one reading “Do It!” while his signature dweebish glasses stayed miraculously in place. The deeper voiced Joe Goddard’s parts demanded that his hands remain glues to the keyboard, but this did not keep him from bopping and writhing so as not to miss out on the goodtimey fun. All the while, a giant backdrop brandishing the cover of their latest album Made In The Dark shone with a mighty orange, the color of fun.

Songs from 2006’s award winning The Warning like “Boy From School” and “Over And Over” pleased the crowd to a notable degree, but what really got the dance floor thumpin’ was the explosive hit ‘Ready For The Floor” off their disk of backdrop fame. This number was dedicated to our fine city, much to the proud approval of the fans, and our reward was the dropping of a bunch of giant white balloons. Terminal 5’s scarily large disco ball made an appearance on “Touch Too Much,” while “Bendable Posable” stirred things up with an altered vocal line to make up for the usual roboty parts. The new song “Alley Cats” carried a few slinkier moments but in the end stayed true to Hot Chip form and suggested promise for this next album. The crowd certainly enjoyed it, as they did the entire show, where not one party-pooper was allowed to remain stiff as the group mentality demanded that all move to the music. Certainly for the lucky recipient of Taylor’s sweaty towel, but mostly likely to all, this was an excellent way to begin one’s Saturday night out right.

Photos by Colin Colfer