No two feet were left untapped last night at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom when an experimental rock lineup ended with a ferocious set by Brooklyn’s own Ratatat. The beat got started when performance artist Panther, a Jewish hipster hybrid of Prince and Spike Jonze dancing in a Fatboy Slim video, leapt off stage to showcase his full-body gyrations (see below), leaving everyone wondering if they’d purchased tickets to a bar mitzvah instead of a rock show. Swedish/English/French keyboard poppers Envelopes took the stage next, reporting grave misfortunes, including lost instruments, but their chipper, Pixies/Talking Heads-inspired jangles kept the crowd riled. Headliners Ratatat were met with great uproar from the audience, and they performed against a video backdrop that screened their latest music video, “Wildcat,” the rousing single off their new album, Classics. Video tricks aside, Ratatat’s performance turned out to be the true cat’s meow. KATIE HEATH
On SPIN.com:
Ratatat: SPIN.com Artist of the Day
We asked (inspired by Ratatat’s album title): What are your favorite classics? COMMENT
