Sometimes it’s baffling as to why two bands get teamed up to play a show. From the outside, the line-up seems like a bad idea, but on some lucky occasions, things magically work out. This was definitely the case with the odd, yet somehow fantastic pairing of indie juggernauts Dirty Projectors with unknown hip-hopper Dominique Young Unique. The two couldn’t have sounded more different, yet both groups' energy played off the energy they drummed up at the Aladdin Theater.
Miss Unique is an 18-year-old performer from Florida whom it’s fairly safe to say few in Portland have heard of. This didn’t stop her from getting a solid crowd of people up out of their seats and to the front of the stage, waving their hands in the air and bouncing to the music. The set started off a little rough, with Unique jumbling her words and two guys on keyboards and a dj table offering some messy beats. The caliber of her show picked up, however, once she found her groove, and when she found it, man, did she ever. Despite her young age, Unique has a serious flow to her music and an over-the-top kind of sass that you just can’t fake. As the show lagged on, her voice became slightly grating, but it never detracted from the fact that this is a girl who knows how to put on a good show. Though her music may not be awe-inspiring, it is certainly catchy.
Right off the bat, Dirty Projectors switched gears, taking us into a more highbrow territory. Announced onto the stage by a computerized voice, the band threw themselves into their performance, with charismatic front man Dave Longstreth commanding the stage. Their set drew mainly from the highly acclaimed Bitte Orca, with a handful of older songs from Rise Above. The mood of the show was a lot more rock ’n’ roll than some of their recorded material lets on. With the edge of an experimental noise group and a high level of technical skill, Dirty Projectors gave a show that was fresh and inspiring, but never lacking in structure.
In a particularly tender moment, all but Longstreth and keyboard player Angel Deradoorian left the stage for the intimate song “Two Doves.” Though it sounded a bit hurried in its pace, the delicacy of the guitar work and Deradoorian’s rich voice provided a beautiful break from the rest of the show’s high paced, intense energy.
In addition to giving a technically skilled and great sounding performance, the band stopped to chat with the audience from time to time, relaying stories about their time watching the swifts at Chapman Elementary School and going to a local brewery (two quintessential Portland activities). Dirty Projectors played not one, but three encore songs, ending with a bang. They couldn’t say enough about how happy they were to be right where they were, and that can make all the difference during a live show. When a band is happy to be on stage and performing to an excited audience, it only amplifies the experience for everyone. Dirty Projectors are a great band on their own and put on a fantastic live show. What makes them a truly spectacular group, though, is their enthusiasm, a certain kind of joy de vivre that is rare to find in the indie rock scene and can’t be manufactured.
Setlist:
1. When the World Comes to an End
2. I Will Truck
3. No Intention
4. Knotty Pine
5. No Embrace
6. Beautiful Mother
7. D. Henley's Dream
8. The Bride
9. Two Doves
10. Temecula Sunrise
11. Imagine It
12. Remade Horizon
13. Stillness Is The Move
14. Useful Chamber
Encore:
15. Cannibal Resource
16. Fluorescent Half Dome
17. Rise Above (Black Flag cover)
