By
Rob Jones
A mix of mid 80’s summer sale clothes with dodgy barnets to match has a sextet of unlikely groove gurus take to the stage for the Festival of Voice event in the Welsh Millennium Centre. Ladies and gents – Hot Chip are the Devo of dance – and, their geek image indicates that the music must be more important than the looks – and, surely that should be and ultimately is the case!
Dad-ravers Hot Chip are mainly led by Alexis Taylor’s frail falsetto but this Joe 90 doppelganger is not be underestimated as he has become a renowned frontman and his sidekick Joe Goddard also comes to the fore. Their associates Hot Chip in and this has led to long term commercial and critical success over a period that has seen many of their contemporaries come and go. The anthemic Over and Over never fails to ignite a crowd and this anthem alone will retain legend status for this band. However, the Cardiff punters already alive after a sterling start get so much more out of their anti-heroes. The career choruses and electronic enterprise spark an audience into full swing mode for the full hour plus set. The tempo can change but on the whole it is that rollercoaster of rhythm with a foot to the floor mentality that brings in the acclaim.
It was November 5 and Hot Chip were putting in a shift right up until midnight but their late night fireworks lit up Cardiff Bay and everyone present ended the evening by Dancing in the Dark with a collective smile underneath their masks.
