Matt & Kim – Relentless Garage, London 23/03/2011

Simplicity’s not always a sin when it comes to gigs. Yeah, it’s always satisfying to witness the latest 8-piece avant-garde multi-instrumentalists drag music kicking and screaming into a brave new future, but sometimes all you need is synths, a drum kit and a shedload of pogoing hipsters to deliver a tsuperlative live experience.

As the name helpfully indicates, tonight’s entertainment comes courtesy of Brooklyn-based duo Matt & Kim The former plays keyboards and talks a bit too much; the latter enthusiastically hits things with drumsticks and, to quote her always-flattering bandmate, has “the mouth of a 6 year old sailor and the body of a 12 year old boy”.

Their modus operandi is hyperactive, unpretentious synth-pop with stupidly catchy hooks and lyrics that, whilst not exactly Dylan (“YES! YES! NO! NO! NO!”) are certainly easy to sing along too, all imparted with levels of exuberance comparable to several dozen sugar-loaded five year olds. Whilst the upbeat energy of their songs alone guarantees the party times, a good percentage of their charm comes down to the band members themselves- Matt’s an excitable fellow clearly overwhelmed by the reception they receive; Kim’s a force of energy who spends any time she’s not drumming screaming lyrics at the audience, bouncing about on stage or dirty dancing on top of the crowd.

It’s not really surprising that the Garage had descended into a sweatpit by the end of the second song; it’s not often you encounter such irresistible gleefulness in the forsaken wastes of London’s Islington. You could quibble about Matt and Kim’s actual music talent, or the lack of variety in their material, but little can match them when it comes to unadulterated fun.