Pure Energy Dance Party | Metronomy Live Review | Zulu Wave Live Review | The Social Orlando | October 10 2014

by Mitch Foster • October 23, 2014

A pure whimsical dance party. That was Metronomy.

Choreography doesn’t happen as often as it should. Metronomy gets that. And, they do it. Very Well. If you weren’t moving in the Social that evening, your heart wasn’t beating (although there’s a good chance there’s some ghosts hanging around that place since it’s so old. And, if they were there, I’m sure those spirits were shaking, too.).

The stage glowed bright with colorful LED lights lining the matte white booths in which the keyboardists played behind. At the forefront, the charge was led by lead guitarist, Joseph Mount. His commanding officer was bass guitarist Olugbenga Adelekan. And all was anchored in place by the stunning Anna Prior and her drumset. All vocal duties were shared respectively. Here’s a shitty pic: (Check out the non-shitty pics by Tyler at the end of this post.)

The warm, ambient tones delivered both visually and audibly to match their hit single, “The Look,” worked the room into a frenzy of shuffling feet and darkness-piercing cheers, accompanied by firmly gripped drink orders splashing against the rims of their containers, but not to spill over. I caught this bit on the Shows I Go To Instagram:

A video posted by Shows I Go To (@showsigoto) on Oct 10, 2014 at 10:14pm PDT

Zulu Wave opened the show and fucking blew me away. They’re a four piece from Tampa, FL. Their drummer, Danny Piechocki, is so fucking technical that it was hard to focus on anyone else during the first few songs. Piechocki rolled across heads and hi-hats graciously with a flick of the wrist and very delicate dynamics. It led me to believe he was classically trained, perhaps jazz influenced.

But, my attention was ripped away during a part in a one of their songs where the lead singer, Michael Barrow, fucking gave me chills. He broke key. He lost control. He gave in — into the sound, the progression, the passion. My fur stood on end. I loved it; the feeling. Barrow has what it takes to be a great front man.

I later learned that song is called “So Cool,” which I found to be appropriately titled to coincidentally match my feeling. Check it:

<a href="http://zuluwavemusic.bandcamp.com/album/jagorilla">JAGORILLA by Zulu Wave</a>

Their bassist, Brian Schanck brings the rock to the party. Schanck comes fully equipped with deep, heavy lows, and a lot of sweat. (And he’s a damn good photographer). Their synth player, Ariel Cortes, sealed the sound, layering a smooth mixture of cement on the brick house that is Zulu Wave.

This band has everything it seemingly takes to “make it.” So: Why the fuck hasn’t anyone grabbed this band by the hand and dragged them in front of the masses. Will you? It would be a very good idea.

After having my face rocked off and anxiously trying to scribble all my notes down, I had a shot of Fireball and a PBR and prepared my dancing shoes for Metronomy. There were a lot of conversations in the room about how exciting it was that a band of that caliber was playing such an intimate venue (like when The Fratellis played Orlando). In case you weren’t aware, Metronomy plays the large festival circuit overseas quite frequently. Here’s a video of them performing Reading Festival earlier this year:

Just in case this needs to be reiterated, the dancing began immediately. Our soft sways and shuffles were just enough to break a sweat but, a good sweat, a happy sweat. Metronomy began with the song “Holiday,” which conveyed one thing very clearly: They were here to party.

Throughout the next hour and a half, Orlando moved, Metronomy moved, but time, time seemed to stand still. It was a beautiful thing. A fun and positive thing. If you’re having a bad night, ever, Metronomy will seemingly effortlessly grab you off the ground, place you on your feet, wind you up, and have you dancing with them all night long.

Metronomy Live Review by Mitch Foster. Zulu Wave Live Review by Mitch Foster.

Metronomy Live Photos by Tyler Martin. Follow him on instagram @tylernol_am and check out his photos below. If you’re into skateboarding, check out his company, @booze_skateboards.