| « Life in Grayscale | Just One Hit » |
Review Sat Oct 18 2008
Review: Hercules and Love Affair @ Metro, 10/17
After standing outside in the rain, the decked out crowd for Hercules and Love Affair's Chicago debut was drenched inside Metro. Outlandish makeup and hairdos had been battered by downpours and hail. But thirty seconds into the music, the crowd was doing their best to dance themselves into dryness. Singer Nomi was a fine substitute for Antony Hegarty, especially carrying vocals on the coming-of-age single "Blind." The other singer Kim Ann didn't seem to mind being upstaged, but didn't falter on her lead vocal opportunities. Between what sounded like a "Billie Jean" sample tossed in during their Chicago house homage "You Belong" and an out of left field cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper", Hercules and Love Affair showed a knack for surprises as well. The encore of "Hercules' Theme" featured a ridiculously thick groove and evolved into musical chaos with all elements coming together as the band sucked the last ounces of energy from the crowd at 1:30am.
Early on it was clear that the live horns and rhythm sections would be the backbone of this performance. The trombone and trumpet accompaniment was high in the mix with some strong early funk influences. The percussion and bass glued songs together during an almost seamless 50-minute sequence that encompassed the bulk of their set. It's no coincidence that the non-stop action was reminiscent of the early disco and house music parties that leader Andy Butler has recreated quite well on their debut album. The band isn't just lucky to pull off a similar vibe during their shows. It may be sad at times (though serious downers like "Iris" weren't played), but this is most certainly dance music. And on this night it was done almost as well as it can be.
