Last week was so packed with dance events that I managed to hit 3 dancefloors despite not being here Saturday or Sunday. Things started calmly Tuesday night, chatting about music (what else) while the Prodigy's fifth studio album Invaders Must Die (due out March 3rd on Take Me To The Hospital/Cooking Vinyl) played in the background. You can check out the video for the title track here. Believe it or not it's actually one of the calmer tracks on the album, which definitely hearkens back to the heavier sound the Prodigy pioneered, but in an updated way.

I would've stayed put and listened for hours, but instead scurried over to the Annex for Friendly Fires. I arrived in time to see Lemonade (who opened) for the first time. Initially their set didn't appeal to me as it reminded me of a more mellow, island-ey version of Professor Murder (who I like). I enjoyed a few of Lemonade's more upbeat songs and the band's enthusiasm as the performance went on, but overall their sound was a little more chill/laidback than I prefer.

Friendly Fires @ the Annex - December 9, 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

I was in a bit of a daze after that, partially due to how hot the super crowded Annex was becoming, plus a longer than normal wait in between bands due to sound problems. As I had hoped, Friendly Fires' instantly energetic performance brought me back to life and had me and everybody in the Annex going accordingly bananas. Lead vocalist Ed McFarlane sang away song after song from the band's excellent, self-titled debut album and still managed to inject some Jagger-ish moves into the performance despite the crowded set-up on the Annex's small stage. Ed's energy was matched by the rest of the band who enthusiastically drummed and strummed away, while added percussive elements really gave the whole show a rich and highly danceable sound. These guys are easily one of the most lively and fun bands I've seen in a while.

More on last week later, here are some options for tonight/Thursday (12/19)...

Continue reading "the Thursday night in Dance w/ Showtrotta (The Prodigy, Friendly Fires, Greenskeepers, Voodoo Funk & more...)"