5/11: Matt and Kim @ 930

Photo by Matt and Kim

The 930 Club was packed beyond belief with people and anticipation. When Matt and Kim came on stage, a roar like no other came over the entire crowd, balcony and pit alike. The Brooklyn hailing duo was beaming and ready for a crazy show. Not 1 minute into their set, Kim, notorious for being one of the most energetic, pumped up performers in pop today, jumped on top of the bass drum of her drum set and started dancing and hitting her sticks against the frame of the drum. 

Matt and Kim went right into it, playing with a blazing energy and stage presence, dancing, asking the audience to dance and give it “100 percent” tonight. The duo was beyond pumped to be playing two sold out shows in a row at the 930 club, which they referred to as “world famous.” The band connected and fed off the audience in a way I have not seen before, and with raging success. I came in expecting to see an indie-pop duo play some music and possibly dance a bit, and was instead hit in the face with one of the most energetic, pumped up dance parties I’ve been to. Mid-way through the set, Kim stood back on the bass drum (she did this probably 20 times throughout the show) announcing to the crowd “fuck a sing-a-long, I need to see some mother-fucking crowd surfers here tonight!” And as if on-queue, the crowd surfing began and did not end until the very last song of the show.

This show was unlike most shows I have been to in that the duo did not rely on their musical talent to guide the show (although they are undoubtedly musically talented). The two youthful and passionate musicians used their energy and hype to create an incredibly intense show with Matt remarking towards the end that the crowd went past 100 percent and made it to 150. The duo was far from perfect, and it didn’t seem to bother them or anyone in the venue. Matt had 2 fingers taped together which he had broken in an earlier show. He assured everyone he could still do everything he needed to make it a legendary show, adding that “being perfect is fucking boring.” If the show’s musical performance wasn’t perfect, the show’s physical performance and energy made far up for it until the very end. Throughout the show, they would play little intermissions where they would play short renditions of “Up in Here,” “Just a Friend,” and more. Many many many hundreds of balloons were thrown into the audience, only adding to the massive dance party aesthetic. 

Towards the end of the show, Matt said that “We know its hot in here…but we’re about to make it much hotter,” unveiling a parachute which was draped across the first 50 feet of the pit overtop of the audience, and then promptly asked those underneath to go absolutely crazy. After this, Matt asked everyone in the pit to scrunch together, raise their hands up flat, and make a dance floor of sorts for Kim to stand on. Miraculously, the “handfloor” worked, with Kim dancing literally on top of the crowd, and making it back to the stage unharmed. (I dont know if she could even be harmed, I swear she’s made of steel). The band rocked the house with performances of songs off their newest album, New Glow, and of course, the song that perhaps started it all for them, “Daylight.” 

This show was indeed legendary; Matt and Kim are not a show to miss out on. They lead and pump up a crowd like no other band in the indie-pop scene, and give you every single bang for your buck.