The Globe, Cardiff
Wed 1 Aug
Search engine-defying genre swingers !!! (pronounced ‘Chk Chk Chk’, for those not in the know) swagger into town at the beginning of the month, and they’ll be bringing the party with them. The NYC-based quintet have been blasting out spiky, danceable bangers since forming in California in 1996, and built up an unlikely cult following around their punk-party schtick. 2004’s acerbic yet accessible album Louden Up Now might not have been a mainstream hit, but it paved the way for dancefloor-friendly luminaries like LCD Soundsystem and Yeah Yeah Yeahs to dominate mid-noughties indie playlists the world over.
However, in recent years the band have been “expanding [their] cliche” by shimmying away from their disco-rock roots and firmly into sequins and strobe light territory. Their latest offering, the house-infused Megam!!!x Vol 1: Shake Shake Shake, dropped this March and is the logical end point of !!!’s 22-year progression towards classic club grooves.
Now well into their 40s, !!! show no sign of mellowing out. In fact, after two decades of turning every venue they grace into a New York disco sweatbox, they’re more skilled than ever at shaking the audience into action with their onstage theatrics and thudding disco beats. As frontman Nic Offer claims, “our shows are better than our records!” If that’s the case, better get down there fast.
Tickets: £14. Info: 07590 471888 (BH)