Opening for a popular band can be a mixed blessing. You
get exposure to people you would not normally get, but they are not there for
you, and may be ready to ignore you, abuse you, or just come late. It's still
an opportunity, and New Politics capitalized on that opportunity better than
anyone else I have seen.
Part of that was just fearlessly jumping in and putting
on a good show. That "fearlessly jumping" part is more literal than
you might think. Singer David Boyd started by crowd surfing during the first
song, doing the robot in the second song, and moving on into full break dancing
(you can get kind of an idea from the videos). And the crowd ate it up. They
were there for Fall Out Boy, but they made room in their hearts for New
Politics.
Their work did not end after their set. Later I saw Boyd
working the crowd, approaching people and asking if they had liked the show,
and giving out stickers. I am sad to say that the conversation I heard involved
people who had not seen the show, but I know a lot of people did. I felt the
energy and heard the cheers.
I also don't want to make it seem like it was all Boyd.
Drummer Louis Vecchio and guitarist Søren Hansen were more tied down by their
instruments, but played with great energy, and Hansen sent his guitar up in the
air a few times, and swung it around.
That actually leads to something else. There were only
three people on stage, and two instruments, but there was more sound than that
coming out. There is some double duty going on, with Vecchio doing other
percussion, Hansen doing keyboards and programming, and both of them doing
additional vocals. Obviously there is some prerecording, and maybe that even
provides some freedom, because if I toss my guitar into the air now, the recorded
keyboards means it's not total silence. However, picking it back up in the
right spot takes some skill. They are all really good at what they do.
I had been listening to their music in the time leading
up to the concert, so I did recognize songs, but I think they would have won me
over anyway. The music is really accessible. It's probably counts as pop, being
very danceable, but it feels like there are hip hop roots, both in the beats
and in the nods towards call and response, and maybe a little bit of Buzzcocks-style
punk, but I am probably crazy there.
The 2010 release, New Politics, has a bit of a
harder, heavier sound, with the possible exception of "Give Me Hope",
which shows up again on the new release, A Bad Girl in Harlem.
The songs are fun, but there's depth too. "Stuck On
You" and "Overcome" have different tempos and sounds, creating
different emotions, but even on some of the bouncier tracks, there is still a
feeling of yearning and something more. "Goodbye Copenhagen" is a
good example of this.
I've been listening to A Bad Girl in Harlem a lot,
and I'm not getting tired of it. Based on their talent, skills, and energy, I
think New Politics is going places, and I'll be glad to see that.
Music is available via iTunes and Amazon, and I got A
Bad Girl in Harlem at the show, so that's also an option. If you get a
chance to check them out, do it.
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