[live review + samcam video] Gang Gang Dance @ Brighton Music Hall

I’ve seen GANG GANG DANCE three times, and each time brings a new, interesting experience. I first saw them when they opened of Montreal’s Skeletal Lamping tour at The Orpheum, where they flawlessly fused their sound check and guitar tuning into the first movement of their set; the second time was at Prospect Park in Brooklyn in support of TV On The Radio, where unofficial band member/spiritual muse Taka “Baby Love” Imamura was tackled by security, who must have thought he was some cracked out Brooklynite that somehow wandered on stage with a flag made of a garbage bag and a broomstick.

This past July 8 at Brighton Music Hall was the closest I’ve ever been to the band, the longest they’ve ever played, and BMH provided the best sound. It would have been totally perfect too, if I could have gotten some good videos to show you guys. Right before the band was about to start their first song, singer Lizzie Bougatsos asked the sound guy to turn the lights down, making everything far too dark to see or take astounding, artistic and award-winning Flipcam videos.

This is a band that knows how to put on a show. GGD played for a full hour and came back for a 30 minute encore, the whole time slowly escalating their energy and intensity with focus and control unmatched. Bands that can perform full songs with great sounding improvisations are few. Bands that can play for an hour straight without stopping are even fewer. Gang Gang Dance does both, and they make the crowd dance like a bunch of monkeys on speed. I busted moves I didn’t know I had. Sometimes I feel left out or disconnected when a band just plays without speaking to the audience, but GGD and everyone at BMH knew that there was something way cooler going on that words should not interrupt.

Sam Ueda is the Boston Phoenix's summer music intern. He'll be back at Brighton Music Hall tonight for Kurt Vile.