Matt & Kim

SXSW Review: Matt & Kim, March 18, Fader Fort

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Paul in Concerts, Everything, South By Southwest | Leave a comment

matt and kim

Austin – Wow.  What can I even say about this show?  It’s a little hard to be objective about it.  In fact, it’s pretty much impossible to say anything negative about this show unless you’re a dick who hates awesome fun.  Matt & Kim are the happiest band on the planet and they want you to be as happy as they are.  And they work hard to make you happy.  This is the service they provide.

This was my first time seeing Matt & Kim live.  from what I hear, they always put on a hugely energetic set, but due to the fact that this was SXSW and Matt & Kim were really amped up after seeing Odd Future play sometime before them, it might have been even more high energy.  Ridiculous stage banter, Kim bootie dancing while being held up by the crowd, tons of balloons with Matt & Kim’s face on them, and the duo playing snippets of big, dumb pop songs such as “Apache” and “Do You Think You’re Better Off Alone.”These are just a few of the crowd pleasing tricks Matt & Kim have in their repertoire.  For added star power, they were even joined by Erykah Badu  for one song, although I totally didn’t recognize her until after the fact, wondering who that woman banging nonchalantly on a cymbal was. 

At one point during their set, Matt dedicated a song to everyone who’s ever seen them before and come back again.  After seeing them for the first time, I’d say that list would pretty much include everyone who’s ever seen them live before.  Unless they hate awesome fun.

Daylight by mattandkim

SXSW Preview: Matt & Kim

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Ricky in Everything, South By Southwest | Leave a comment

Toronto – Matt & Kim is simply put, one of the most entertaining shows you will see. Their energy is immaculate and their enthusiasm is more contagious then H1N1. No matter how crappy your mood is when you are entering a Matt & Kim show, you will feel a hell of a lot better after the drum and synth duo hit you with song after song of energetic punk-pop tunes. Once again, Matt & Kim are playing SXSW, this time in promotion of their new record Sidewalks. They seem to be only playing large shows in Austin, but if you can find the time, do check them out.

Here’s a video to get you prepped:

3/14 – Austin, TX @ The Belmont
3/16 – Austin, TX – mtvU Woodie Awards
3/18 – Austin, TX @ The FADER Fort, SXSW

Cameras by mattandkim

Concert Review: Matt & Kim, October 29, The Phoenix

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Ricky in Concerts | Leave a comment

Matt & Kim @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto

Toronto – If there was ever a band for which recorded material did not matter, it is Brooklyn’s Matt and Kim. Simply put, the drum and synth duo are best experienced live, as no digital or analog device can match the energy output that they generate. Friday night at the Phoenix was a primary example of their powers. Playing to the largest crowd they ever played to in Toronto, Matt & Kim unleashed their energy to a largly unsuspecting crowd.

The last two times I’ve seen Matt & Kim, it had been in the tiny confines of the Wrongbar and the Whippersnapper gallery. The Phoenix seemed like a large departure for them, but it just speaks to the success that they have had on the heels of their sophomore record Grand. I was a bit skeptical as to how effective their two person show would be on a larger scale.

It only took a few minutes to realize that no matter where they play, Matt & Kim will whip the crowd into a frenzy. Within a few minutes of taking the stage (with fully new light system), hands were in the air as far as the eye can see and people were jumping up and down.

I can’t even begin to describe how awesome Matt and Kim’s stage act is. Matt’s relentless in his pursuit for a party, always urging the crowd to dance and Kim seems to have a permanent smile on her face as she playfully but skillfully bashes on her drums. At one point , Kim threw a bunch of balloons into the crowd, asked the fans to blow them up and throw them in the air (an excellent use of user generated content). Another time, Kim walked onto the crowd and then proceeded to booty dance. It was good fun, which is what a good Friday night concert is about.

Matt & Kim @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto

Surprisingly, the set list skimped on the new album (Sidewalks, out TOMORROW) in favor of older material and the set ended with their hit song Daylight much to the crowds delight. I am guessing the duo have decided to let the crowd digest the new album first before unleashing them as part of their happy fun hour extravaganza.

I’ve seen Matt and Kim four times now in the past two years and while the formula for their live show remains the same, it still leaves you exhausted, in awe and happy. Go see them now before they play a even larger venue.

Matt and Kim – Cameras by TSB

The new album Sidewalks is out tomorrow.

NXNE Concert Review: Matt & Kim, Whippersnapper Gallery & Wrongbar, June 19th

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Mark in Concerts, Everything, North By Northeast | 2 Comments

Matt & Kim

Toronto – The Whippersnapper Gallery is not a big place, and it was packed last Friday night with a small horde of sweat-drenched hipsters salivating to check out Brooklyn-based Matt & Kim. After what seemed like an eterntity of setup time due to the small broiling confines of the gallery, M & K were finally ready to bring it.

Matt & Kim’s energy-fueled feelgood dancepop is absolutely infectious.

This was my first time seeing Matt & Kim live, and I have to say that it was really really fun. I would describe their live sound as “clean and vibrant”. They play indie dance tunes that are ridiculously catchy and fun. Matt plays the synth and sings. Kim rocks out on the drums. It’s a very simple setup and it works ridiculously well. This minimalist approach makes it easy to folllow what’s going on. Make no mistake though, Matt & Kim’s pared down sound doesn’t mean you lose any energy with this equation. They can rock out like nobody’s business.

This is the first time I’ve ever seen the same band play twice in one night at two different venues. It was worth it.

One of the things that struck me is how much sheer fun they seem to be having playing music. Ricky mentioned this in his review of their SXSW appearance. Matt & Kim’s energy-fueled feelgood dancepop is absolutely infectious. They take you to a very happy place and keep you there for the entirety of their set.

This is a pretty accurate depiction of what their 2nd set felt like.

Matt & Kim (Wrongbar) - This is kind of how it felt!

We had so much fun seeing them at the Gallery that when 1 am approached we realized that we could go to Wrongbar and see them again. This is the first time I’ve ever seen the same band play twice in one night at two different venues. It was worth it.  This set, although similar to the first, was a notch up from their earlier performance. The venue was a little larger; Matt & Kim had more room to spread their legs. And at this point everyone had been partying all night and were ready to rock. Crowd-surfing began immediately and lasted the entire set. It was a ridiculous fun energy ride.

1 – Whippersnapper:

2 – Wronbgar:

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