The energy was already high from the opening acts when Chazwick Bundick (better known as Toro Y Moi) took the stage and positioned himself between two synths. A quick “whassup?” and then Toro Y Moi launches into the fast-paced “New Beat” and never slows down. Although most, if not all of the music could’ve been a solo effort in a room full of synths, the crowd is presented with a full band with a bass player, live drums and a guitarist doubling as a second synth player.
Sporting large, circular glasses and a casual blue button-up shirt, Bundick looks more like an Apple employee instead of the prolific contributor to several musical projects. Recording under the name Toro Y Moi since he was a teenager, he’s got an 80’s pop voice that makes it look like he could be wearing a red leather jacket, tight jeans and a giant pair of high-tops. And although he has been grouped into the chillwave subgenre, which includes acts like Washed Out and Neon Indian, both of which he has remixed, the live show is more lively than a guy standing at a station of synths turning knobs.
The set lasted about an hour and a half. The lights were turned up high and the crowd watched intently and grooved along, although it did not turn into the full-blown dance party that it coud’ve. The crowd seemed torn between paying really close attention to the music and actually dancing to it. The band took a quick break and finished the night with a one-song encore of “Low Shoulders.”
Toro Y Moi is one of several acts who has done most, if not all of the producing and arranging on his own, but has made an attempt to take his live show beyond shoe-gaze into something more entertaining and danceable without the quality of the music suffering. Their performances are composed of high-energy, well-crafted arrangements with enough psychedelic funk influences to make the show feel like a 70s disco in an alternate reality.
The opener, a local act called Factories, was like watching three friends play around at a party and love doing it. All three at the front of the stage, facing each other and singing in harmony while hopping and playing guitars and synths, and although the lack of live drums may have mechanized their show a bit, the energy emanating from the three of them front and center definitely made up for it. They were good, fun electro indie rock that was also very danceable.
Setlist:
New Beat, Talamak, All Alone , How I Know, Light Black, Go With You, Still Sound, Freaking Out. Saturday Love, I Can Get Love
Encore: Low Shoulders
