The walls of The Echo pounded to the bass of Andrew Wyatt’s synthesizer. The venue vibrated, as if it had a beating heart. Fans flooded the floor, bobbing their heads as they pushed closer to the stage. Miike Snow, the electro-pop band from Sweden, had taken over.
Lights flashed from every direction, competing in a seizure-inducing fury with the flashes of digital cameras throughout the room. Looking at the stage, through the field of camera phones held in the air, there was a projection of Miike Snow’s logo ““ a rabbit with antlers.
Through each track, the image would change until Wyatt was performing in front of a distorted close-up of his own face. Wyatt took the lead as his supporting cast played synthesizers and drums, among other instruments. The almost poetic motion of his luscious locks answered every inquiry anyone could possibly have about musicians and long hair, as he threw his neck about to the rhythm of his band’s music.
Oscillating 3-foot fans kept the floor cool as sweat began to accumulate on the musicians’ foreheads. The group danced about the stage in fairly standard garb ““ not for a rock star, but for anyone. Wyatt, for instance, opted for a simple black windbreaker and pants, though he started the show with a white mask covering the upper half of his face.
The group ran through various tracks, some familiar from their self-titled album, as well as new work. Aside from Wyatt, the group includes Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, who together are also known as Bloodshy and Avant. The duo is responsible for co-writing and producing musical gems such as Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and Christina Milian’s “AM to PM.”
With each song, the crowd grew more enthralled, even through the long loops at various points characteristic of Miike Snow. The tracks built from a thumping bass line to a crescendo. Reaching the peak, the song tapered on for an indefinite amount of time until finally fading away or collapsing into itself, only to become another explosive crescendo.
The explosions pulsed throughout the venue ““ an unusual space in that the lounge area is immediately behind the dance floor without any substantial barrier. The turnout was so large, the standing group expanded out into the lounge area. Everyone packed closer and closer together, trying to inch toward the epicenter of the seismic excitement.
The volume grew so intense, one could feel one’s throat vibrate down to the lungs and also a premature feeling of deafness. It is the very same feeling one may encounter after a show of this magnitude, with ringing in the ears and all. Listeners were entranced by the noise, hypnotized by Wyatt and his crew.
Track after track, the group seemed so focused on their work on stage, looking up at the audience only occasionally. Fans screamed along to recognizable lyrics and threw their fists above them along to drumbeats.
As the show neared its end, fans did not lose energy and continued to bounce through a final set until Miike Snow exited the stage. Sweaty hipsters filed out of the double doors to light up another cigarette in the brisk midnight air ““ Los Angeles’ first sign of the approach of fall this year ““ and street vendors warmed wieners with onions and miscellaneous spices.
The violently loud show had come to an end outside The Echo in Los Angeles, but it would be hard to forget the overwhelming power of Miike Snow.
““ Rob Kadivar
E-mail Kadivar at rkadivar@media.ucla.edu.