Gigs

Gig Review: MC Lars

Venue: Barfly, Cambridge
Date: 30 October 2007

MC Lars is already talking and high-fiving with the audience and his band hasn’t even finished setting up - the man is a verbal dynamo. The constantly-smiling Californian, who describes his material as “post-punk laptop rap”, has brought his whole crew with him – last time I saw him he was performing solo but not tonight. His partner-in-rhyme, DJ, has just flown in from the States and even the tour support, Last Letter Read, is in on the act playing live alongside his pre-recorded backing tracks. This all improves the on-stage dynamic and the impact of the performance. The live drums and backing vocals make a huge difference but unfortunately the guitars only seem to be for show.

No matter as the screens are fired up and Lars’ prepared visual feast beams out displaying photos, words, home videos and internet imagery to accompany each track. The favourites get an early airing with “Hurricane Fresh”, “Rapbeth” and “The Raven” getting the sparse crowd nodding along. With such a small turn-out you’d expect the performance to be a little lacking but Lars and DJ are having none of it and are moshing away like demons; finger-jabbing and devil-horning for all they’re worth.

No one is safe once Lars get going and he leaves no stone unturned in telling us what’s wrong with the world and, particularly, the music industry today. “Generic Crunk Rap” attacks the current trend in hip-hop to associate with brand names, whilst “Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock” is much in the same vein, lambasting an American chain store for selling music accessories and apparel and not the music itself. As he launches into “Signing Emo” to accompanying rapid-fire photos of the genre’s distinctive Cyclops-style haircuts, the crowd slowly realise the irony that his bassist is sporting an emo haircut of his own. Wry, knowing smiles all round.

The humour continues as we’re treated to sudden breaks in the performance for Lars to hold on-screen interviews with a couple of hand puppets and at one point even his mother appears to tell us all what a nice boy he is. With each one the band crouches down so we can see the full screen unimpeded – a thoughtful touch. “What is a marine biologists’ favourite country?” asks Jeffrey the Joke Giraffe. The crowd groan as the puppet comes back with the answer “Wales”.

If you put Weird Al Yankovic, the Bloodhound Gang and Rod Hull in a bag they’d produce MC Lars. His show is utterly brilliant and I’m left convinced he deserves a larger audience than the one who’ve ventured out tonight.

Band links = MC Lars / Last Letter Read

Review commissioned by Music-Zine.

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