BrightestYoungThings: LiveDC: Deastro/ Max Tundra @ DC9

all words: Nicole Cohen
all photos: Graham Garvie

When Detroit band Deastro took the stage at DC9 on Thursday, two sonic thoughts popped in my head. First, A-ha – the Norwegian pop band that gave us “Take on Me”, a song for which I will forever be grateful – and then Morrissey – the twisted indiepop king from across the pond.

While it may sound like an odd combination, it turns out that Scandinavian synthpop and the darker side of British alt-rock come together quite nicely. Deastro takes its pop beats straight out of the 80’s (or maybe it’s just one of those pre-fabricated keyboard beats) and its smooth, afflicted vocals straight from Manchester.

Band members Randolph Chabot and Adam Plaff delivered a highly danceable, slightly mysterious set from behind a sea of synthesizers and a Goosebumps tablecloth.

Between ballads Chabot told corny jokes he had heard from a 7-year-old and summarized the plot of Scanner Cop. Then he fired up the computer, stomped his feat to the synthbeat, and swung his arms around like he was playing bocce ball.

But Chabot’s onstage choreography was nothing compared to Max Tundra’s. As if to queue the dance party, the petit Brit opened his set by waving his arms in the air and running circles around the floor in the front of the stage. It wasn’t long before the crowd was hopping around and swinging their arms right along with.

Tundra’s music is kind of a techno collage made up of synthesizers, a xylophone and various rare, endearingly odd instruments including the melodica, the thumb piano, and the Suzuki Andes.

It sounds painstakingly complicated, maybe even overwhelming, but it’s guaranteed to get you moving.

“I’m a little bit shy because I’m in love with you all,” he says ironically before launching into “The Entertainment” in which Tundra sings, “Load me in and let me reign/'Cause I was born to entertain.”

Truer words were never sung.