The Neo (FringeTIX)
The Neo @ The Crown and Sceptre
9:00pm, Fri 22 Feb 2008
All these years I’ve been following The Neo (I first saw them in 2004), and I’d never noticed the “The” at the start of their name. I suspect that I’m going to learn that the capitalisation of NEO is quite intentional, too.
DJ Medhi is spinning some tunes (as the kids say) as I arrive – very old-school and calm. Darwin’s favourite funk band (well, my favourite Darwinian funk band) took to the stage about 10pm for their first set, which included an absolutely storming rendition of Eloquence – a simmering didgeridoo opening before building to a massive rock crescendo. A short break – more from DJ Medhi – and the second set starts slow, before building into a monstrous dance-fest finale, with a guest upright bassist and cracking versions of Frottage (nearly 10 minutes!) and Feeling So Happy.
All the usual bits were wodged in there – the harmonica battles, the near-pantomime of Phone, and huge gobs of massive, delicious powerfunk. And that’s all I need, really; I’m as happy as a pig in shit with every show I see these guys play, and can’t wait to see them again :)
(…and my notes from last year’s show speak far more eloquently of the band than what I’ve written above, so read that too :}