Like Nabokov’s gun that must be fired by the end of the story, the Jelly Fortress was topped by a No-Swimming pool that had, inevitably, to be jumped into by the end of the night. When Team Robespierre played a great-sounding but under-watched set amidst deck-chair-bound VIPs and stylish drinks Friday night before Matt & Kim and Spank Rock, Tomasz ended the proceedings in the only reasonable way: by tackling a bystander into sparkling water. An excellent choice, but it may have been one-upped if highly improbable rumor is true: the Death Set may have finished their own set that night by tossing in their amps. For my part, I took off after seeing the already frenzied party-goers crowding the other stage to see sleekly modernized new-wave-gone-trance outfit Cut/Copy.
Preceding that surreal, chic parking garage blowout was Impose’s own day show in the suburbs at Rancho Relaxo, which featured the likes of Ecstatic Sunshine and Mouser (members of Dark Meat) and various acts evidently eaten by my camera memory card, all on an unusually arboreal backdrop. Afterwards, I headed for a pair of conveniently close together, conveniently set-staggered showcases: Love Pump / Panache and Kill Rock Stars. Highlight of the night? Shy Child, at their first show in the states in a year, blasting through a set of tracks from their upcoming album. As far as I could tell they didn’t even have to loop anything to get all the parts in, drums and keytar both constantly at full tilt all night. I guess they haven’t been taking it too easy over their last year in the UK.
