Thao Nguyen is a force of nature in a summer dress and cowboy boots. Now hailing from San Francisco, Thao and the Get Down, Stay Down's cheerful and breathy pop was like a cool breeze on the brow of the crowd at the Bitch Magazine/Kill Rock Stars day party. When she asked the crowd what they wanted to hear and they demanded something new, Thao happily obliged with the allegedly unfinished track, "Body." (And, in case you were wondering, "yes, it's about you").
Like the rest of the set, "Body" provided plenty of the catchy hooks and confessional lyrics that contribute to the band's trademark sound. Thao interspersed frenetic strumming on her hollow body guitar with all out shredding, and punctuated her lyrics with some unconventional vocalization (think Feist faking an orgasm, or your junior high french teacher reciting vowels). With Thao's charismatic performance and obvious connection with the crowd, solid drumming from Willis Thompson, and thumping beats and occasional vocals from bass-guitarist Adam Thompson (brothers only in rhythm), Thao and the Get Down, Stay Down rightfully deserve a place in the indie pop canon..
