Review: Extra Life

Imagine you went and mixed Devo with Health, two of my all-time favourite bands, and then threw in some free jazz and psychedelic metal guitars. Sounds weird? Well, Extra Life are weird. But so much fun.

When we arrived it looked as if nobody, literally nobody, was going to this show. As it turned out they were watching the Champions League final at Monarch or hanging out on the WG balcony. By the time we returned from Monarch, right on time to see Extra Life take the stage, the room was well filled. It was hot, oh so hot, but it was roomy enough to see and move around. 

I didn't really know what to expect from this gig. Having really looked forward to it, I was still prepared to be surprised. And surprised I was. Each song sounds entirely different, yet each song can be attributed to something I like or another. It's like a band that takes all my favourite styles of music and runs them through a mixer with full force. And admittedly, this works better on some songs than on others. There were those where I was so getting into it I could have just jumped for joy. But there were others where it was enjoyable and fascinating to watch, but wouldn't make my personal top ten. They are that varied in their musical approach.

The gig seemed to be over after a mere half an hour when the band announced their last song. However, they added immediately that this song was going to be so long that nobody was going to be disappointed. This held true, with the song running a good 20 minutes. Insanity.

What a refreshingly innovative band. Yum.