By Aaron Calvin, Entertainment Editor
The Kreayshawn and Neon Indian show on Wednesday was an interesting show, to say the least. When the show was announced around a month ago, my first reaction was surprise, even bewilderment. But by the end of the show, I almost understood.
Kreayshawn took the stage after her DJ “warmed up” the crowd by playing ambiguous, bass heavy beats. She immediately announced that she had ingested a tab of acid beforehand. It’s questionable whether this had any real impact on her performance, which generally consisted of her two associates rapping along with her/ beside her, expounding most of the stage energy. As a friend of mine behind me so eloquently noted, “Kreayshawn has the stage presence of a wet noodle.” The extent of her movement consisted of a sort of movement back and forth and slow movement around the stage. The real stage presence and crowd interaction seemed to be wholly supported by her associates who were the ones jumping around, throwing t-shirts into the crowd and having energy in general.
The personal lack of energy on the part of Kreayshawn seemed to mean little to the crowd. Kreayshawn has really only released two identifiable songs, “Gucci Gucci” and “Bumpin’ Bumpin’.” The songs that she performed, though, were so catchy that after the first chorus they inspired a sing along from the crowd. For example, one song simply chanted “Amy Winehouse” for the refrain sections. During the show, I had the epiphany that Kreayshawn was joining an already very identifiable group of hip-hop artists. Like Lil John or Rick Ross, Kreayshawn is by no means an excellent rapper. One of the reasons she gets so much criticism (aside from the debatable allegations of her race appropriation) really comes from the fact that she’s a white woman, an anomaly in the boys club of hip-hop. Her appeal lies in the beats she uses and how she structures her songs in a catchy and appealing way. So say what you want about her apparent talent (or how much of her vocals were recorded beforehand), but somehow these traits came together to put on what was a surprisingly enjoyable show.
Neon Indian’s half of the show marked a predictable shift in energy on stage. But for anyone that has heard Neon Indian’s two albums, “Psychic Chasms” and “Era Extrana,” their live reproduction would come as a surprise. Neon Indian’s albums are the sole creation of Alan Palomo, but on stage he was joined by a guitarist, keyboardist and drummer. The aesthetic of the “chillwave” movement that Neon Indian is so heavily identified with didn’t really come across except in the distorted vocals and whirring synths. Palomo danced across the stage while songs like “Deadbeat Summer,” “Polish Girl” and “Should Have Taken Acid With You” (maybe he took acid with Kreayshawn) were hardly recognizable in the boom of a live drum set and alternating electric and bass guitar. The live band set up was far more engaging and energetic then an electronic reproduction would have been.
The commonalities between these two artists performance were tenuous at best. Both artists sported electronically altered vocals and a penchant for earthshaking bass. What seemed to really put them on the same tour together (sponsored by Noisey, a branch of Vice Magazine) was the attention and buzz that both acts draw from similar parts of the internet, despite their apparent sonic opposition. The result of this initially head-scratch inspiring combination was an eclectic yet quality performance.
