100 Shows of 2010 - #82: Die Antwoord/Rye Rye @ 9:30 Club, 10/27/10

Some of you quite very possibly remember a little band called the KLF. They came from Britain, and they got the kids movin' and groovin' with their big bastard songs. They reached rather stratospheric heights of popularity, and even went as far as to burn one million pounds, just because, well, they could. Turns out, it was all a big joke. Fast forward to now and we have perhaps another example of the joke band phenomena. When it comes to South African duo Die Antwoord, one must ask "are they or aren't they" when it comes to being legit. Bona fide bandness aside, one thing probably can't be disputed. Seeing Die Antwoord live is a pretty amusing and entertaining way to spend an evening.

MINI RECAP: Rye Rye = For Real! Die Antwoord = Who Cares! Overall Score: B+

Ok, so you can totally question whether Die Antwoord is for real or not. However, this question most certainly cannot be asked of Miss Rye Rye. No sir. No way. No how. This lady is all sorts of for real. I mean, anyone who brings along three strapping, shirtless fly boy dancers cannot possibly be anything other than straight up For Real. From the giant mega beats and seriously funked up grooves to the early 90s nod of the dancers (including Lady Rye Rye herself, let it not be said that chickadee doesn't work hard up on that stage), her set was mostly killer, very little filler. You can see why MIA is a fan of hers, what with the sassy lyrics and intrepid dance moves. I was beyond impressed by this girl, y'all. Hot damn.

Die Antwoord, oh Die Antwoord. Are you faking it? I have to say, I probably am closer to believing in their KLF-ness than their legitness. But that begs a question of its own: Does that even matter? When it comes to being straight up entertained, Die Antwoord, faux or no, get the job done. Their DJ, especially, impressed me. Behind that silly ape mask is a man (or large lady) who knows how to lay down some bitchin beats. The dastardly duo out front, too, know how to work a crowd. The pauses between some songs were too long and gaping, but the banter and the overall stage presence were pretty fine overall. And they worked the rather large crowd into quite a lather. They seem to be obsessed with ninjas, though, but who doesn't like a good ninja every now and then? Perhaps Die Antwoord does have a case of the KLFs, but perhaps sometimes it's good to have a giggle at the sillier side of the music industry. And hey, if they're totally serious, well, that's also pretty funny.

I wasn't expecting too much out of this night, for some reason, but I have to say I had a really good time. On the one hand, Miss Rye Rye threw down some serious good times, and on the other hand, well, there was the tomfoolery of Die Antwoord. And I had a smile on my face all night.

mp3: Enter The Ninja (Die Antwoord from $O$)