Review: Mahjongg

Remember how I told you that only a small number of people showed up at the Ganglians gig? Well half that and you have the Mahjongg "crowd". Was it the snow? And I had actually reserved a ticket. No kidding.

So we sat in an empty Marie-Antoinette watching the opening act, slightly delayed to permit for any latecomers who didn't come. Krach Der Roboter is a "one man in a DIY robot suit"-project and specialises in experimental electronic sounds. The music is goodish but the performance is second-to-none. You can't help yourself but laugh when he jigs in his robot costume behind his electronic equipment.

I couldn't tell whether Mahjongg were disappointed with the small crowd that had bothered to attend their gig but they played a surprisingly long set anyway. And those few people that were there made sure to clap and shout sufficiently to make the band feel appreciated. Because appreciated they were. Mahjongg are one of the best live acts that I know of. While I do like their records very much, and I am into all that "analog dance music" stuff, the boys just get so excited about it themselves when they perform live that they can drive the audience into frenzy. But to be honest, they need an audience. It's all well and good to have four people work their instruments and electronics and dance and sing and improvise and interact, but it's dance music despite all. No people = no dancing.

We did make up for it when we danced to Paul Simon's "Call Me Al" afterwards. And then departed into the snow again. You should have showed up. You missed out on Mahjongg and Ganglians and on New Years Eve you will ponder about how few good gigs were happening this year. And I will ask you what you were doing when all these musical talents visited our hip town with expectations.