The Go! Team
First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Oct. 28, 2005

There was no question that the “Power [was] ON!” at the legendary First Avenue nightclub Friday night as The Go! Team rocked out, rapped and then dance-party-assaulted an all ages crowd of Twin City fans.

Playing mostly from their unrivaled, Mercury Prize-nominated debut, Thunder, Lightning, Strike, the Go! Team often switched instruments and interacted with the crowd, al while pounding out an undeniably upbeat show of turntable hits via rock performance.

And the crowd was an A+, with the under 18ers dressing the part, jumping and dancing continuously throughout the 90 minute set and then conga line dancing around the perimeter of the venue (seriously, it was annoying at the time, but I’ve never seen that before).

Group founder Ian Parton, guitarist, drummer and harmonica player, was clearly enjoying himself throughout the set, but it was MC Ninja who set the tone for the show. Sporting a cheerleader outfit, pom poms and a utlitity belt of vocal styles, she was at her best on my fav track from the album, “Ladyflash,” where she jumps between a young Michael Jackson and a Detroit battle rapper as samples abound.

Other times MC Ninja took a backstage to the instrumental hits from the album (Phillip Glass meets Tortoise at the club on X), and while the minors on the floor weren’t quite so pumped, the sextet played some of their best songs of the night without vocals.

While some in the post-AshSimpson climate have criticized the group for using recorded samples overtop the live instruments during their shows (for example, horns and a bass line pumped through the speakers while the live bass player laid out a complementary groove), we have to remember that this group started as DJ project - an experiment that yielded once of the most imaginative albums in ‘05. In fact, the group’s album is so incomparable and unparalled, their live performance was merely a tribute. But a great one at that.
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Download Thunder, Lightning, Strike here: