A rare live performance from UK electronic duo Basement Jaxx, packed in as much wild fun as they could before a 10pm curfew in Central Park. Apparently the band hadn’t performed live in New York for at least ten years (though they have come around for a DJ set at least). But unfortunately, for whatever reason, three openers (Fei Fei, Masters at Work and the Internet) were allotted time before Basement Jaxx, cutting into what could have been a longer set from the duo. When they finally went on around 8:45, Basement Jaxx had the crowd going crazy (one woman in the front row wore a unicorn horn). But for all the craziness offstage, there was more on stage, with outlandish costumes (including multiple gorillas at the end) and multiple kinds of dancers (including a ballerina) instead of the standard, trippy projected visuals other acts use.
Basement Jaxx’s set consisted of a greatest hits assortment from all their albums from Remedy to Junto with several singers rotating in to provide vocals. It may have come as a surprise to many in the audience when they did an acoustic take on “Romeo” though they’ve been doing it that way for at least a decade in some instances. Yet that dancing lull didn’t last long and the group was soon going full on through songs like “Raindrops” and leading into the “Where’s Your Head At?” with the call-out hook encouraging people to well, lose their head and go nuts. Basement Jaxx may not be as widely known in the EDM scene as they were in the early ’00s but they are still an act to follow and a fun group to watch. New York was lucky to have them for at least one night. We can only wait to see what they do without a curfew.
The Summerstage 30th Anniversary Season is well under way but there are lots of great shows of all varieties still to come. Some of the upcoming events: Young Fathers and Fantastic Negrito are free on the 25th; Quantic, Gilles Peterson and Afrika Bambaataa are free on August 8th. Visit the Summerstage homepage to get details on these shows and many, many more across the five boroughs.
Setlist:
Good Luck
Unicorn
Power to the People
Red Alert
Taiko
Back 2 the Wild
What’s the News
Oh My Gosh
Everybody
Never Say Never
Romeo
Jump n’ Shout
Buffalo
Raindrops
Do Your Thing
Rock this Road
Where’s Your Head At?
Rendez-Vu
Bingo Bango