Spaghetti Tree Festival – Bussey Building, Peckham, London 01/04/11

Compared to the likes of Hoxton and Dalston, Peckham isn’t exactly renowned for its alternative music scene but for two nights only, the streets of South London were transformed into a mini-Williamsburg courtesy of veteran London promoters Upset The Rhythm.

Taking over a converted industrial building formerly used to manufacture cricket bats, this new mini-festival (the name a nod to the infamous April’s Fools hoax) offered the eclectic, avant-garde fare we’ve come to expect from Upset the Rhythm – from PLUG’s lo-fi post-punk to the terrifyingly intense karaoke stylings of John Maus.

But for many, tonight was clearly all about rotund Baltimore electro deity Dan Deacon. Legendary for his crazy, communal live performances, he spices up his one-man electro assault on the senses with some brilliantly executed audience participation; for one song, he persuades the crowd to mimic the every move of a chosen individual, for another he sets up a dance-off that ultimately collapsed into a full-scale rave. Even this reviewer, blessed with the natural grace of a harpoon-struck whale was drawn into proceedings, holding aloft the Trippy Green Skull during closer ‘Wham City.’

But for all the silly antics and manic energy, there’s substance to supplement the style. True, all his material is hewn from a similar template of sugar-rush synths, distorted chipmunk vocals and judicious amounts of glockenspiel, but the complexity of his compositions (cf. ‘Snookered’) belie his reputation as a “party artist.”

Exhilarating, sweaty and ridiculously fun, it was a perfect set from one of the most dependable live performers in modern music, and ensured that in future, Spaghetti Tree will be remembered as far more than a joke.