Whoever in the band came up with the ‘Chrom-ee-oh, o-oh!’ chant, the one pointedly bellowed at them before gigs and borrowed from the imaginatively titled Intro from their last album, is clearly some sort of evil genius and, as they are a two-piece, means there’s 50/50 odds on either one of them having Bond-killing, laser-on-the-moon-pointed-at-the-Earth style tendencies. Waiting in anticipation for PhD-rocking frontman Dave-1 and Talkbox Grandmaster P-Thugg to mount the stage is like that bit in Hook when they are chant ‘RUFIO!,’ only exchange the lost boys for hipsters and the dining table for the hottest club basement in the World.
Were Chromeo amazing? Yes, they were pretty much amazing. After a slightly stuttering start, they ticked every box required of a decent live band, sprinkling a few choice album tracks (Call Me Up, Momma’s Boy) amongst the hits canon (Tenderoni, The One That Is In That VO5 Ad), and gifted – rather than forced – a couple of new tracks into the mix (Night By Night being an absolute highlight, possibly of my life). Most importantly, apart from sounding pretty flawless and true to form, each track was twisted a little – an extra refrain, a dropped talkbox section, a squealing keytar solo – to give each tune an undeniably live feeling. Dave-1 was enigmatic up-front, referring sweetly to everyone in the room as ‘London,’ while P-Thugg, who I’m not sure has any actual vocal chords, did a pretty decent impression of Stephen Hawking getting down and funky.
Words by Joel Golby
“Stephen Hawking getting down and funky”- Genius!