Mac DeMarco live at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
It’s always good to see something genuinely bizarre find a palatable home yet retain most of its weirdness. Personally, I really struggled with the whole left-field 1980s-inspired lo-fi pop of Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti or Blank Dogs. Although Mac DeMarco continues this trend of weird saccharin pop, I wouldn’t directly lump him in with the likes of Ariel Pink; instead of their whole art school vibe, DeMarco delivers his foray into pop’s gratifying depths with a healthy dose of wit and charm, you know, to help the sugar go down.
This really is where his talent lies; where most bands would crumble under the weight of such unusual influences, DeMarco powers through. How does he wade through this mire of uncool? Simply through immaculate taste, an immaculate taste in crap.
The Brude was full to the brim by the time the band took to the stage, and the band didn’t mess around getting started. I am no sound man, but I imagine it’s quite difficult to get a sound like theirs right. That weedy guitar sound that stands out so well on recordings was a little washed out by the other instruments. It seemed to ease into the rest of the music, giving them more of a lo-fi punk feel. Everything was a little bit more manic, a little bit looser. This, however, really didn’t feel like a problem; they sound different but not worse.
An awful amount of bands out there spend a disproportionate amount of time trying to convince us that they are just a group of mates. A gang that, if we give a small amount of cash to, we can be part of for around 40 to 60 minutes at a time. This is usually pretty unconvincing, it turns out it’s quite a difficult thing to do, which is why it’s refreshing to see such a convincing bunch. They appear effortlessly in tune with each other, I don’t think I have ever laughed so much at a gig in my life. They kept breaking down into jokes in between songs, veering off at the end of the penultimate song into a ridiculous medley of covers that included songs from Limp Bizkit and Metallica.
There is a real honesty within Mac DeMarco’s music, it may be loosely hidden behind humour, but it shines through both lyrically and in the live performance.
