Wednesday February 3rd 2011
We arrived at the Prince just in time to catch the end of Bang’s set. Clad in green and wearing a backpack, Bangs seemed quite comfortable on stage, with two sidekicks – one behind the decks and the other weaving around him – revving the crowd at hyper-regular intervals with yells of “make some noi-oise!” and the other MC-favourite “put your hands in the air”. They made quite the dynamic trio, and it was soon clear that Bangs has leaped far beyond his basic synth and homemade Youtube video beginnings.
Proving that amusing internet sensations can make good, the Greenscreen dream of his early videos of him standing before fat stacks of cash, cars and city skylines could be getting closer to becoming a reality.
Bangs and his buddies busted out ‘Meet me on Facebook’ and the improved production meant solid bass-lines and a crisper sound, but it is still Bangs himself, with his disarming rapping style and cheerful sense of play that comes across most strongly.
Their encore was ‘Let me take you to the movies shawty” which met with great acclaim from the crowd who sang along to the lyrics “I got da popcorn, I know what else you like”.
Melbourne stalwart DJ Mafia filled the gaps after Bangs shot through, creating an impressive medley out of John Farnham’s ‘You’re the Voice’ (no points from this reviewer) with ‘Everyday People’ by Arrested Development, ‘Scrubs’ by TLC and plenty of Beyonce for good measure. Whilst some of the song choices were questionable, the throng of expectant Die Antwoordians loved the cheesy eighties element brushing up against the pop whimsy of more recent times.
The crowd was getting thicker than the pigfat mix at a McDonalds. We were quite close to the front and it soon became apparent that we would be pressed up against each other in sardine-tin proximity. The crowd diverged from dreadlocked hippies to singlet-wearing buff beach types, preppy girls and hip-hop hat-and-short wearers.
Finally, DJ Hi Tek came out wearing a mask that he didn’t remove for the entire set. Moments later, Ninja and Yolandi sprang out like bogan kids let off the leash. To the left of stage was a huge, inflatable evil boy with its dopey smile and disproportionate member.
Ninja looks something like a German New Beat nightclub owner from the 80s with his ridiculously sculpted hair and permanent squint. He bounced and he spat into his mic, working the crowd like a nurse, and boy, were they willing to receive. All around me people were familiar with every track– the Zef slang easily coming out of people’s mouths. This band – whether you think they are a joke or not, has made a massive impact on a whole range of people.
Ninja and Yolandi were entertaining performers, and Ninja’s penchant for crowd surfing meant repeated opportunities to surge, touch and lift him across the masses of adoring fans.
They played ALL the hits. Beat Boy and Rich Bitch went down well, and they timed Yolandi’s song ‘$copie’ with her teasing vocals “ I got what you want boy and you never gonna get it so you might as well forget it” perfectly followed by “Evil Boy” and its relentless reference to well-endowed men.
Whether serious or not, Die Antwoords’ explicitly sexual content and distinctive style is a lot of fun and they know it. It was clear that their dedicated following were prepared to worship fervently, and chants of Die Antwoord, Die Antwoord! ensured two encores. The nationalistic pride threatened to overwhelm at times, with Ninja practically Tibetan throat-singing ‘Melbourne’ at us, and throwing Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi out a few too many times – but the crowd loved it and responded with uncanny timing and fervour.
I guess the question of whether they are a well-marketed lie, or genuine white trash speaking from the ghetto is made obsolete by their ability to perform and entertain. Who cares, when you’re having this much fun?
– Anaya Latter
