Recently, Dallas discovered this band called The Go! Team and we’ve been listening to them a lot… to say the least. Especially him, he’s obsessed! Their album Thunder, Lightening, Strike is incredible.. one that you can put on and listen to over and over again. Every song is good. Last weekend we had dinner over at Danny & Lori’s and on the way home we saw a poster in Wicker Park saying that they were playing at Metro this weekend so we got tickets. So great, they were so fun.

446 @ Metro, Lakeview, Chicago

The first group was called 446 and is described as a “midwestern hip hop crew.” At first we were like “is this for real?” but then as they went on you just had to laugh. It was so redic.. I couldn’t tell if it was because it was Halloween or just because, but there was a guy dressed in an owl costume and one in a bear suit. At one point there were 20 people on the stage, including a baby that looked like it was about a month old. I’m sure the loud speakers were REAL good for his little eardrums. But most of the 20 couldn’t wrap very good and the girls they had dancing were all out of sync. It kind of reminded me of a bunch of kids in their basement practicing with their girlfriends and then they somehow got a gig. And what’s up with the song about drinking gasoline?

The Grates @ Metro, Lakeview, Chicago

The second band was a 3-member group called The Grates. I was surprised when they came out.. they had both a female drummer and lead singer. The third member of their band was a guy playing the guitar. The lead singer, Patience, was so cute and energetic. She jumped. A lot. All around the stage. Dallas likened it to if Mandy Moore fronted an Australian punk band. The Grates sound was simple, short rock songs.. a few of them I really liked, I’m thinking about getting the EP.

Here are a few low quality clips.. don’t ask me what’s up with the mic. Every time the bands were totally jamming it sounds like the mic is all static.. but on the slower, quieter songs it’s fine.

» Patience Jumps (.mov, 39 sec, 948k)
» The Grates (.mov, 20 sec, 360k)

The Go! Team @ Metro, Lakeview, Chicago

The Go! Team was definitely the best of the night, which is great because that’s who we came to see. They have 6 members and are from the UK. They’re sound is unlike the bands I’ve been listening to lately, so it’s refreshing. They do a lot of sampling, but also play a lot of instruments and have a lead singer named Ninja who sings and raps and dances all over the stage. Really fantastic. If you haven’t heard Go! Team, you’ve got to give them a listen.. and if they’re coming your way and playing a show, go see it!

Again, crap audio on most of these, but fun to watch them dance. Listen to their songs here to get a better idea of what they sound like.

» Ninja Dancing & Singing (.mov, 40 sec, 932k)
» The drummer comes forward to sing a song (.mov, 19 sec, 304k)
» Go! Team & Ninja Dancing More (.mov, 29 sec, 776k)

And because it was Halloween weekend:

Team Zissou Plans Its Next Mission :: Metro, Lakeview, Chicago