Matt & Kim, Holiday with Friends & Little Pictures played at Mighty Mighty. Two of our reviewers were there. They both reviewed it. We like both of their reviews. Which can only mean one thing. REVIEW WAR.
The Mighty Mighty is like a box of chocolates—do I need to say how? What I got, when I went to see Matt & Kim with supporting acts, was a framed painting of a horse propped up on the stage, and a DJ fading in and out of nameless indie tunes. Who knows what quirky delights will await me next time I’m there: all I can hope for is that it will be as good a gig as this one was.
Synthpop duo Little Pictures was reminiscent of I Was a Cub Scout and Psapp, but with less edge. This frequently threatened to take them into twee territory (first offence: the clarinet; second: the bubbles), but their restless energy and amusingly incongruous sampling of ‘Hey Ya!’ and ‘Promiscuous Girl’ managed to assuage the syrup seeping from their synths. That said, ‘This House Can Fit Us All’ was endearingly clunky: Johanna Freeman’s ethereal voice complements Mark Turner’s earnest indie tones well. I’d like to see Little Pictures take the Little Boots/La Roux route and produce something with more balls (two at least, please!), but their kitsch pop hit the spot for the crowd.
I wanted ballsier, and I got it with Holiday With Friends, who compensated for their lack of musicianship with attitude—think Be Your Own Pet or (to quote my friend), the time special ed “banged drums joyously for four minutes” in assembly. Said friend added that he meant that “in a good way”, and indeed, the audience appeared to love them: their self-deprecating humour (“This is why we’re breaking up”, after several false starts), and obvious pleasure to be performing made them hard to dislike. And who can hate on a melodica? Holiday With Friends—a diamond in the rough, maybe, but a diamond nonetheless.
For the main course: Matt & Kim’s anthemic indie power-pop/dance-punk. Their energy equalled The Kills’, but pleasingly, I felt able to approach the stage without fear of VV turning me into one of the living dead. ‘Cutdown’ and ‘Yea Yeah’ were highlights, but the duo kept their audience entertained even between songs. Matt was an air-punching powerhouse hunched at the synth, while Kim’s manic grin was infectious, and her upper arm muscles incredible: it was worth the $15 entry for the gun show alone. In fact, the concert was worth double that, not only due to the stellar acts but also the crowd, who were genuinely enjoying themselves. My tip: next time Matt & Kim play here, make sure you’re front and centre.
This was my first experience seeing Little Pictures, a duo devoted to cuteness. Particularly enjoyable was Mark’s stage presence—he resembled a giant, blonde baby stamping happily around the stage. I was also impressed by three lycra-clad girls in the front, who somehow managed to skank dance to Lil’ Pics. Bubbles and twee have never really encouraged me to show off my bootylicious moves to camera-wielding friends, but then maybe I’m showing my age (as in: no longer underage).
Holiday with Friends then performed their last show ever, for the fourth time. Their fun brand of Wellington indie pop was just dandy, barring a couple of sloppy spots and song restarts; light-hearted yelling among members made for colourful between-song banter.
Mighty already had a large, enthusiastic crowd for the opening acts, but when Matt and Kim came on, swarms of people appeared from the ether; like moths to a flame, like mice to cheese, like Elvis to peanut butter and bacon-filled loaves of bread. You get the picture. Matt and Kim are a two-piece hailing from Brooklyn, New York—he on synths, she drumming, both doing vocals. Simple. The kind of simplicity that can be monotonous over speakers, but translates well to a live show.
Matt and Kim came to the stage all smiles, as though we were honoured friends for whom they were delighted to play. By this point the crowd had jammed towards the stage and began hopping about manically in—or out—of time with Kim’s rapid-fire drumming. Particular audience excitement was felt during ‘Yea Yeah’ and ‘Daylight’, the most familiar of Matt and Kim’s songs and rightfully so: catchy choruses worthy of sing/shouting along to, even on first listen.
There was something about their set that felt organic, raw, makeshift even. A charm that belied the band’s longevity: they seem more in their first year than fifth. This charm was somewhere among Matt’s off-key, yet endearing, singing. Or maybe it was in the delight the pair clearly felt in the attention they received. Wellington was the last stop on their tour, but the performance felt fresh, as though we were the first. There was something colloquial about the evening; Mighty Mighty could have been someone’s living room, and Matt and Kim some friends of friends who you’ve seen about the place. And maybe it was this loose vibe that was the reason the crowd really got going, the sort of frenetic energy that got people’s fists pumping the air and feet off the ground.