By Liam (@LiamOKennedy on Twitter):
A week after I walked
out of Feed Me's Feb. 5 show at the Royale, there's an image still seared in my
mind that won't dissolve away.
It's one of those images
that functions like a portal to a particular moment in time. If you've ever
been affected - spiritually, emotionally, physically - by the all-consuming
sensory time warp of a live electronic music show, you probably have at least
one of these images stored away.
What I keep seeing is a
massive set of jagged LED teeth, stretched in a devilish grin across the width
of the Royale's stage, waiting to come to alive with light. Above the teeth, a
pair of slanted, menacing eyes peers over the crowd. A man appears between the
eyes, the restless onlookers sense him in the shadows, and roars erupt as the
night is set in motion.
The eyes glow silver in
the dark as Jonathan Gooch a/k/a Feed Me builds a... READ MORE AFTER BREAK
tantalizing, Nero-esque introduction that moves up and down the BPM scale. It's a primer track, a movement summoner, and he's read the crowd well; because when he transitions into a walloping electro house banger moments later, the energy inside the intimate venue jumps off the charts.
tantalizing, Nero-esque introduction that moves up and down the BPM scale. It's a primer track, a movement summoner, and he's read the crowd well; because when he transitions into a walloping electro house banger moments later, the energy inside the intimate venue jumps off the charts.
And for most of the
night, that's where it stays.
Originally a drum and
bass producer who has been releasing music under the moniker Spor since 2004,
Gooch underwent the Feed Me metamorphosis with his 2008 EP "The Spell /
Raw Chicken," released under deadmau5' mau5trap label. Sonically, he's
never been easy to pin down, dashing between D&B, IDM, electro house and
dubstep. Feed Me has a level of adaptability that has kept his sound relevant
in an era of rapid evolution within the dance music world.
Last week's set was
infused primarily with electro house—not that we had a problem with that. The
night hit its energy apex with the recently released "Death ByRobot," an ode to our machine-dominated musical landscape. Things
descended into the low end with "One Click Headshot," a track that
blends the line between electro house and dubstep, and speaks directly to the
generation of Adderall-fueled teens who log endless hours on Call of Duty with
the gnarliest wubs they can find banging in their headphones. At night's end,
Gooch stepped in front of his toothy throne to thank the crowd, and closed with
the overwhelmingly joyous "Love Is All I Got." For a Tuesday show in
Boston, Royale’s full house showed that Feed Me was an act not to be messed
with.
At the helm of one of
the most delightfully absurd stages in dance music, Feed Me delivered a
high-octane set that moved seamlessly between melodious interludes and
feet-off-the-ground, electro-jackhammer anthems. He brought out the ravers, the
glovers, the clubbers, the misfits and rageaholics. And he sent them home
drained, energized and hungry for more.
Feed Me's jam-packed
"Feed Me With Teeth US Tour 2013" continues throughout the month of February.
For more shows like Feed Me, check out our upcoming shows in Boston on our calendar.
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