My Bonde valentine

And rightly so, because this line-up is trans-national (Belfast, Australia and Brazil) and it is indeed truly interesting to see how the different races of the world deal with ‘the funk’.
Belfast’s Ski-bunny, for example, were an interesting mix of sweet shoegazy sentiments with guitar riffs and more party-oriented backing tracks and drums. But the three-piece were almost drowned out by some high-kicking dancers and loud beatz from next door, so it was hard to make a good assessment. Generally, however, a vaguely melancholy good time was had by all.
Gameboy/Gamegirl on the other hand were very annoying. Their idiom is sneery, arch hip-hop filtered through uber-ironic twee hipsterdom. As the trio of singers (one male, two female) sprechgesang their way through their snotty oeuvre, all that was really missing was a large pair of inverted comas placed on either side of the stage. Much as I like irony, and Gameboy/Gamegirl have a tinge of the hip-hop B52s about them (and I like the B52s), the ranty vocals and songs about twee subjects like pumps and fruit salad push them over the cliff of irritating, into the gorge of annoying, where they’re washed away by the river of inconsequence. A frenetically twitchy time was had by all.
Which is a bit weird, because Bonde Do Role’s main shtick is, on paper, a similar co-option of hip-hop by international indiedom. Yet they apply their craft with a genuine joie de vivre and a level of energy that makes all those sampled rock riffs and tropicalia rhythms transcend the ghetto of hip. So we end the evening with four multi-racial,

multi-gendered party animals rapping, singing, posing, and rocking out like sweaty bastards. Even with their two new MTV Brazil-selected female singers it feels like the real deal. So much so that even members of Gameboy/Gamegirl look less ironic when they come onstage for a song; and the drunk scary person who joins them uninvited at the end just looks like another member of their demented gang. A good time was had by all, indeed.