Reptar – Birthdays, London 07/06/12

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Photograph by Rosanne Liu.

It’s difficult not to harbour some preconceived notions about a band who take their moniker from an early 90′s kid’s TV show. For instance, they’re almost guaranteed to be in their early twenties, with attire tending towards hippie bandanas, T-shirts referencing geek culture and into wearing sandals even in the most adverse weather. Their musicianship may be characterised more by its enthusiasm rather than its virtuosity. It’s also a safe bet that a cowbell will feature prominently in their oeuvre. Such a band wouldn’t aspire to avant-garde experimentalism or lyrics that’d inspire a thousand overwrought LiveJournal posts, but instead would want to make fun music for people to dance to - and that just about suits Reptar to a tee.

As one may expect, they’re not exactly bastions of originality. Their amicable afrobeat-influenced indie pop owes a chronic debt to Yeasayer and Vampire Weekend (albeit without the latter’s stuffy Ivy League preppiness) and in accordance with the zeitgeist, Graham Ulicny makes a spirited if not always successful attempt to emulate Avey Tare’s larynx-scouring vocal style. Their songwriting also veers towards the generic at times, with some lesser tracks difficult to distinguish from one another.

But any lack of innovation pales into insignificance in the face of their live performance which, in the best tradition of acts hailing from Athens, Georgia, is an unabashed joy-fest. Every song is delivered with thoroughly infectious verve and passion, and within a matter of minutes, they have a significant proportion of the audience dancing, or at least gyrating their body in a manner that could loosely be defined as such. It’s heartening to witness a band so clearly having the time of their life on stage, even more so for the audience to reciprocate in kind, and that – much more than their songs- is their greatest strength. They may not reinvent the wheel, and there’s certainly room for improvement, but Reptar sure know how to deliver a monstrously enjoyable show.