In honor of Daft Punk’s upcoming Tron soundtrack, I took the time to think of some other live duos that get my blood pumping.
Ghostland Observatory
I saw Ghostland Observatory at the Nateva Festival in Maine this 4th of July, and they completely stole the show. Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner have an undeniable gift for performance. Their music is funky, beat-driven, and badass, making it a ton of fun to dance to. With such a dynamic and explosive performance, these two are definitely best enjoyed with a bunch of rowdy friends. Daft Punk on a budget!
Need an excuse to beat the crap out of everyone around you and have them thank you for it? Go to a Japandroids show. These experiences are so intense that once I nearly vomited in the crowd from exhaustion. No joke. I had to lean on strangers in the pit just to regain enough strength to sing along to their epic choruses. I always feel like I ran a marathon after a Japandroids show.
At first glance, Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell don’t come off as unique. They look like your average indie boy/girl duo who play pop rock songs about how much they love each other. This is definitely not the case, though. Instead, Blood Red Shoes make you feel like an absolute idiot for doubting them. They produce textbook Brit-pop with a unique flair and attitude, and the result is positively overwhelming.
Soda Popinski – Javelin (Buy Album / Free Download)
There are a ton of people drinking Javelin haterade right now. I understand that their recorded material isn’t trail blazing or euphoric, but they’re fun as hell to watch live. A band like Javelin needs charisma to entertain, and they have it in bunches. I defy you to go to one of their shows and not have a good time. If you don’t, you may be a pathological contrarion. That, or just boring.
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Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Flyer
