Venue: Zouk Club, Kuala Lumpur
Date: 28th May 2009
Promoter: Junk
The Brooklyn duo Ratatat were recently in town for their inaugural performance in KL at Zouk Club which was organized by Junk and needless to say, they did not disappoint. We had an absolute blast and even so, that is a sheer understatement.
Prior to the gig, they were getting acquainted with the media over a brief interview at Barsonic. Both were questioned on their sound, the live show, the new record and everything else in between with a few light moments thrown in for good measure. The self-proclaimed perfectionists refer to their recent show in Beijing, China as being the “wildest” and “hottest, temperature wise” that they have ever played thus far. On the road, Mast revealed that he misses the presence of his friends whilst it was cooking for Stroud who claims he only makes “two things well”.
Mast also explained that the band enjoys being both the headliner and the opener on tour as it can be fun for different reasons but he personally preferred the latter as it was more satisfying when trying to win over new fans. We learned that success to the duo did not necessarily equate to selling millions of records, instead it was just being able to play their songs live and perform them to audiences around the world who connect with their music.
The gig itself was evidently in a class of its own. Armed with guitars and various percussion instruments, both Mike and Evan seem to be at ease where they feel most comfortable at – live and on stage. As they charged through each song, the crowd were visibly enjoying themselves as they grooved, danced and swayed along most notably to the fan favourites and singles such as “Mirando“, “Shempi“, “Lex” and “Wildcat“. Between songs, they engaged in bits of fan interaction with Stroud even posing for a quick picture for someone in the audience at one point.
A Ratatat show is one that can’t really be depicted with words but can only be felt and experienced. It is to say the least, incredibly intense and full of energy with the band constantly feeding off the crowd that cheered whenever a familiar riff came on. The pair exhibited excellent showmanship which completely blew us away and no amount of YouTubing of their live shows would have done justice in providing an insight and giving you a taste of this element; it really is meant for the live experience.
Despite the lack of the Ratatat staple “Seventeen Years” (which was on their setlist but the song wasn’t performed), the audience were still left captivated and in awe, and most definitely wanting more.
© More Than Good Hooks