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The Go! Team at The Paradise, Boston, March 21

Jim Furbush

It was really just a matter of time before a band like The Go! Team unleashed itself upon the music world. A lot of music mags throw around terms like “the next big thing” or “unique.” However, it is not a stretch to describe The Go! Team as singular. There is no band like them and probably won’t be for a long time.

The six piece outfit, hailing from the United Kingdom, is led by founder Ian Parton and fronted by a black female MC named Ninja. The band sounds like a stew of 1980s action cartoon themes, schoolyard chants, hip-hop, a little funk, and a rousing horn section, all powered by buzz saw guitar riffs.

It’s a combination of bits and parts that sounds familiar, yet fresh at the same time.

The band comes out minus Ninja and teases the audience before the MC bounds onto the stage in a tank top, moss green skirt, and socks stretched to her knees. The opening number, “Get it Together” begins with a beat that uses guitar as turntables. The song uses repetitive duel recorders, which sounds like something a fourth grader might play at a talent show. The back and forth between the sophisticated guitar work and the childish recorder defines the spirit of The Go! Team’s music.

As front woman, Ninja dances and pumps the crowd into a lather. The team finds their stride early in the night with “We Just Won’t Be Defeated.” On the album the song is a lazy-horn-driven-cheerleader-chant. You can’t even make out the words. But as performed Tuesday night, the song becomes a testament to youthful stubbornness -- it becomes an arena rock anthem. Ninja chants the song title over and over, and the crowd responds by pumping their fists and busting their lungs, singing it back to her, while the horn section drives the message home.

Based on the intricately crafted songs from their debut LP, “Thunder, Lightning, Strike,” I wonder whether the band was just a studio creation of samples, instruments, and lyrics. But any doubts of the band being able to play their songs live disappears three songs into their set. The Go! Team is a dynamic and courageous band.

They play several noteworthy songs not on their album, including “We Are Still,” “Wrath of Mikey,” and “Doin’ It Right,” which sound vaguely like the Toni Basil song “Micky.” Ninja has the audience chanting to the thud-thud of the bass drum kick.

Before launching into crowd favorite “Huddle Formation,” Ninja admits that she doesn't even know the song’s lyrics. She tries to get the audience to sing both lines, “banging on the door cause we can’t hear a thing,” and “shutting down the power cause we wanna sing.” It's a failed experiment. The audience can’t keep up with the band’s frantic timing.

But it mattered little. “Huddle Formation” is a perfect example of why lyrics can be meaningless -- unless of course your last name is Dylan.

The piano ballad “Hold Yr Terror Close” is offered as a short-lived respite, until “Junior Kickstart” kicks up. This song delivers the band in all its heroic, badass posturing. Imagine the theme from James Bond on Ritalin and LSD wishing it was the theme from Thundercats. Maybe not so good.

However, this is the only disappointing song of the night. Maybe the weight of expectation came crashing down upon this song. Or maybe it was the lack of a live trumpeter.

It’s rare for a rock band to be having as much fun as the audience. But this is that band. It’s possible The Go! Team could have just been an awesome college band, playing cover songs at Frat Houses. They aren’t, and they are as exalted by their good fortune as we are.

Near the finale, Ninja dedicates“Everyone’s A V.I.P to Someone,” to anyone with someone special in their life. The graceful banjo and harmonica recall images of sun drenched days spent underneath a willow tree.

Photo courtesy of The Go! Team.

Jim Furbush can be reached at jfurbush@theoysteronline.com

03/29/2006   |   Permalink