– Goat: May 2, 2013 in Chicago
Boxx Magazine | Goat: May 2, 2013 in Chicago
Monday 16th September 2013,
News
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Goat: May 2, 2013 in Chicago
Jordan Young May 4, 2013 No Comments
Quite a different venue from the church of Het Patronaat in Tilburg where they played Roadburn Festival a little over a week before, Empty Bottle is more neighborhood dive bar, but still a sold out audience eager to listen and experience the psychedelia of Goat
The crowd at Chicago’s Empty Bottle was diverse and caused one to wonder what specifically had drawn out each spectator to this show by a band from Korpilombolo, Sweden. But upon overhearing many conversations it seemed that word of mouth is proving to be the number one influence turning people on to the magic of Goat.
The venue drew to near silence for moment before members took the stage and began easing into their first song wearing their signature costumes and masks—a cross between Mardi Gras, San Francisco in the 70s, and a circus. The band played alone for a few minutes until two sprightly characters pranced onto the stage and infected the crowd with their energy, never standing still for the entire hour long set—they only have one album. The aptly titled World Music was released in August of 2012, and carries an eclectic mix of sounds, so much so that Goat transcend genres and can draw an audience and appeal to anyone from hardcore punkrockers to your grandparents. One track in particular, “Goatman,” is sure to get stuck in your head with its repetitive chanting and African drum beats.
The sound quality inside the Empty Bottle left a little to be desired, but the musicianship of the band was clean, and the music still conveyed the trance-inducing qualities one looks for in music influenced by voodoo. For playing their first show in October 2012, and only a string of shows since then, they have quickly honed their stage presence. While the rest of the band hangs back focusing on creating the sounds, the two female members flail around the stage and encourage the audience to dance wildly like them. During their pre-encore song they even ventured offstage and into the packed venue to parade through the crowd. One thing that would have put the show over the top would be if the crowd would have danced around more, instead the hip Chicago crowd stood in place occasionally swaying and bobbing their heads to the music.
The music of Goat would optimally be experienced in a wooded environment dancing around a bonfire with a crowd who cared more about losing themselves to the music than looking cool. Overall, if you have a chance to see this band live make sure you take it, and if you want to dance—and I’m sure you will—just fucking do it.