Datarock and Esser are Just Like You and Me

By Veronica Murtagh in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 16, 2009 5:40PM

It often takes seeing a band live to better understand and fully appreciate their sound. We headed out Friday night to the Double Door to check out British pop's freshest new face, Esser, and conceptual electro-rock trio Datarock. Three hours and two acts later we left all smiles, appreciating the power a live show has to unite an audience and tie up the loose ends of an album.

We thoroughly enjoyed London newcomer Ben Esser's debut album, which fuses dub and ska roots for a fresh take on Brit pop, but after far under-attended performances at Sonotheque and Lollapalooza, we'd been left confused, pegging Esser's sound at a disconnect with Chicagoans tastes.

Esser and his three-piece backing band took the the stage and you could feel trepidation in the frontman's movements. Esser put on his Braveface and did his best to engage the audience, cavorting around the stage in bouts of spastic dancing and shouts of, "I Love You Chicago!" while banging a tambourine. The show was packed and Esser eventually won over the distracted audience with witty banter and an in-between tracks, dub-infused, instrumental jam session with his band that finally got the audience moving their feet.

Datarock's Red is one of the odder albums we've heard this year. Laced with references to retro pop culture, Red listens like a collaboration between Devo and 90's conceptual act Pop Will Eat Itself. Separately, Red's 13 tracks shine, but as a cohesive album there is no unifying thread and we had a difficult time putting our finger on just what Datarock were trying to accomplish with their sophomore release.

Fortunately, the trio's quirkiness translated seamlessly onstage and dressed in matching red tracksuits, accessorized with mirrored sunglasses and wild unkempt manes, Datarock blasted the audience with rock fervor and ballistic energy. Face to face and lacking the veneer of studio polish, Datarock's agenda was evident in their lively show that turned the audience into a sweaty mass of dancing fools—do your own thing, and have a damn good time doing it. From their nerdy, offbeat aesthetic to their overexcited interaction with the crowd, we all found a bit of ourselves in Datarock's approachable and amusing performance. Countless encores later, we left the venue with warm hearts, remembering Datarock's tender statement, "You're the best audience we've had in ages".

It's the shows you least expect to surprise you that end up being the most memorable. A little rough around the edges, but true to themselves, Esser and Datarock gave an authentic performance to a packed house, uniting the audience with Fun.