Miike Snow Bring Crafty Production to Third Sold-Out Show in NYC
On Thursday (April 26), indie pop outfit Miike Snow brought their crafty production talents to a sold-out show at New York City's Terminal 5, closing out a three-day residency.
Following Penguin Prison's brief electro pop showcase (including their '80s beatbox sounding remix of Lana Del Rey's 'Blue Jeans'), Miike Snow -- Swedish duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg with NYC based Andrew Wyatt -- walked on stage donning porcelain masks and black hoddies, their silhouettes illuminated by a backdrop of fiery, strobbing lights.
They kicked off the show with 'Happy to You's opening track, 'Enter the Jokers Lair,' a song the trio deems as a perfect intro for a live gig. With a lower-register synth backdrop, the song appeared to be too down-tempo for the crowd, who responded more to hits like 'Cult Logic,' Silvia' and 'Paddling Out.'
But the trio got a strong reaction from the audience once they performed the marching-beat laden 'Bavarian #1,' which probably would have been a better opening choice. "Say you will / I won't climb out through the other door / If ask you to say you will," the crowd cooed while swaying along with the beat.
Pretty soon, Wyatt et al started integrating old and new hits, diving into 'Cult Logic' and 'Burial' from their self-titled debut, as well as 'Pretender' and the third single 'Silvia' from their second effort. Featuring one of their catchier melodies, 'Silvia' was transformed into a six or seven-minute-long song, with an elongated interlude and a dance segment at the end that almost instigated a mosh pit behind us on the ground floor. (Scary!)
This led into the ethereal 'God Help This Divorce,' (where Andrew produces a harp sound from drum beats), followed by 'Black & Blue' (a nice piano solo with drums entering in the second verse), their recent single 'Paddling Out' and then 'Black Tin Box' (sadly sans Lykke Li's vocals).
Before saying adieu, they predictably closed out the show with 'Animal.' Overall, the showcase -- featuring minimal visuals -- flowed nicely from one song to the next, albeit it being a bit anticlimactic. The set list was perfectly executed for a band with a limited discography.
Be sure to catch Miike Snow as they continue their 'Happy to You' tour down to Washington D.C. on April 28. While they may be finishing off their U.S. leg in Philly on May 3, they'll be heading overseas for the entire summer, hitting up a few European festivals along the way.
Watch Miike Snow Perform 'Silvia' at Terminal 5 on April 24
Watch Miike Snow Perform 'Pretender' at Terminal 5 on April 24
Watch a Snippet of Miike Snow Performing 'Black & Blue' at Terminal 5