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We really should have known better.
We were all stoked to see Brit-hop sensation Uffie live, and in the flesh, at The Funky Buddha Lounge last night. We did out homework, checked up on her set-time and showed up just in time to catch her in the 10:30 slot. As we walked in we realized that since there was only a handful of cool kids we were obviously too early. Now, we have booked hip-hop acts in the past, and should have remembered that 98% of live acts that take place in a nightclub (as opposed to a concert venue) are NOT going to start on time.
So we settled in and decided to wait it out. We had been to The Funky Buddha Lounge a couple years before and had walked away with a seething hatred for the joint and its plastic staff. What a difference a few years makes, though! Granted, the bartenders at the front bar were terrible, but they seemed to be lost in some haze rather than being willfully ignorant of their surroundings. Every other staff member we encountered was helpful, informative and as friendly as could be. This helped a lot as 10:30 came and went … and then 11:30 … and then 12:30 … and then we just gave up. Two hours was long enough to wait.
We would like to emphasize that our departure at that hour had nothing to do with the club’s ambience. The DJs were fun – even if mixing Daft Punk into Dee-lite is a little predictable (but we kept our mouth shut because a) we like those tunes and b) there was the off-chance they were being trotted out as some sort of retro cheekiness … and we’re not quite ready for Daft Punk to be totally retro yet) – and kept the room dancing. The crowd were definitely scensters from the LDW and Johnny Love-stylee camps, but there was a decided lack of attitude that we found refreshing. We jjust had to take off because, well, we're getting older and that morning Chicagoist staff meeting keeps arriving earlier and earlier.
Now about Uffie.
We felt, due to the fact that Uffie only really has two tracks out there under her belt, that it was important to see her in a live setting. Judging by her live schedule, she plays out a lot and we took that to be a good signifier that there may be more depth to her than just two sonically inventive and catchy songs. One reason we really wanted to hear more of her oeuvre had to do with another fem-Brit-hopper that has gained prominence of late. Yes, we mean Lily Allen. Allen came out with two killer tracks at the outset that excited the hell out of us. Then her full-length came out, and while it certainly has attained the status of guilty summer pleasure, we felt that she artistically dropped the ball. Since Allen didn’t really have a live history under her belt we should’ve expected as much, since playing in front of a demanding crowd of clubbers probably would have terminated her career before it even got started.
So, yes, we had high hopes for Uffie and were hoping to see our high opinion of her translated into a sermon on the mount we could deliver with confidence. Unfortunately, since she went on so late on a school night, we can’t do that. We wish we could, but we can’t.
So we’ll just have to wait until her next single drops in two months, hope it’s as good as what’s out there so far, and wait it out on the off chance she ever actually makes it back to Chicago.
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wait, so she never showed up? What a load of crap.
I didn't say Uffie was a no-show. I said that her set-time got pushed so far back I could no longer wait around for her.
Actually, if anyone stuck around late enough to see her, I'd love to hear their thoughts.
It's like Seinfeld - a post about nothing.
Allen came out with two killer tracks at the outset that excited the hell out of us. Then her full-length came out, and while it certainly has attained the status of guilty summer pleasure, we felt that she artistically dropped the ball. Since Allen didn’t really have a live history under her belt we should’ve expected as much, since playing in front of a demanding crowd of clubbers probably would have terminated her career before it even got started.
wow, that`s awfully presumptious, don`t you think? I mean, just because you don`t happen to like the album, doesn`t necessarily mean she can`t hack it in a club setting! Plenty of folks really dig the Lily Allen album. Maybe your opinion holds less sway than you think it does.
i saw uffie in austin a few months ago and wasn't impressed. voice wasn't very good, weak stage presence etc
i guess shes kinda cute in a teenagey way...i can't explain her popularity otherwise
Dan, I've written about Allen extensively both here and elsewhere. It's also rather obvious, from my piece here, that I am a fan of hers. From a critical standpoint, though, it's hard, based on her current body of work, to make a solid case for her as an artist of lasting merit, though.
John, I'm pretty sure that if you don't want to take this piece as one that finds substance in music criticism, you could read it as a club review. Next time I'll include footnotes to help you out with the proper way to read "nothing."
And, finally, nah. I wouldn't call Uffie popular ... yet. Like I said, she's got two killer tracks, but at this point I'd have to give more credit to Feadz than to her for their inventiveness. I just heard two more songs, to be released soon, yesterday and I'm beginning to think Feadz probably deserves most of the credit ... but there IS something about her voice that is awfully ingratiating...
Erm, she's not British, so I dunno why you're calling her "Brit-hop". She's from Miami & lives in Paris I believe. Anyways, "bad ironic hipster rapper" may be a more appropriate category for her.
j, you are correct. I just got her press-kit and it outlines her early-years jetsetting lifestyle. Although I still call her fem-Brit-hop since I consider that an approved (and wholly Tankboy-created) sub-genre.
Her wordmanship makes me want to scratch out my eyes
I stayed. Yeah, it was really late, but totally worth it, here are some photos...
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:H8yjFNlWhI4J:claytonhauck.wordpress.com/2006/08/31/boys-call-me-when-they-feel-freaky-hot/+drunk+uffie&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&client=safari
Thanks Clayton, those photos are really great.
Uffie...your second chance Feb. 17 at sonotheque
I saw Uffie in Copenhagen and she's a lousy amateur.
The DJ did his job well and did what he could do to entertain the crowd.
Uffie delivered less than 30 minutes of singing! (probably her full catalog)
Her weak and mumbling voice couldn't cut through the music and even her stage pressence were lacking.
In the end Uffie got some people from the crowd to dance on stage so she could leave unnoticed behind them and not have to face the crowd. That was truly pathetic.
I guess we'll see ...