Clad with white masks and matching maroon jackets, Miike Snow emerged from the blue smoke that shrouded the stage at Schine Underground to deliver an unforgettable performance to a sold-out crowd Tuesday night.
     
Fans were treated to the energetic sounds of the electro-pop band from Sweden only after Brooklyn-born rapper Theophilus London graced the stage. The first show of the 2010 Bandersnatch Music Series certainly did not disappoint.
     
The line for the 8 p.m. show stretched through the hallway and up the spiral staircase in Schine Student Center as 350 students poured in, eager to see the band that has become increasingly popular with hits ‘Animal’ and ‘Silvia.’

While joking about their potential future career as owners of a gas station, Wyatt also discussed the origin of the dynamic trio that first met in 2004 while working on an album for another group. 
     
‘We’re not trying to have our band name mean anything necessarily,’ lead singer Andrew Wyatt said. ‘When we came up with Miike Snow it was more of an inside joke that we decided to put our whole lives into.’

The group’s live performance, complete with a wide variety of instruments and synthesized sounds, featured artists that not only pour themselves into their music but can also successfully get the audience to do the same. Miike Snow producer Christian Karlson said the band had originally planned its own light show for the event but was unable to share it with the crowd due to insufficient power levels in Schine.
     
Band members bounced all over the stage, crafting their diverse sound by playing instruments ranging from a keyboard to a xylophone. Oh, and don’t forget the smoke machine. After an exhilarating and suspenseful final number, Miike Snow walked offstage to a chorus of encores. Almost immediately following the chants for more, the band returned for one last song. Lead by Wyatt and Swedish producers Pontus Winnberg and Christian Karlsson, Miike Snow has made a name for itself and its jackalope logo (a jackrabbit and antelope hybrid) since its formation three years ago.
     
But some students on campus had never heard of the band before the concert was announced. After hearing the band’s music, they became interested in hearing more.
‘Some girl in my class made a video with the song ‘Black & Blue’ in the background,’ said Alex Vitale, a freshman illustration major. ‘And I became a fan.’

Determined to carve his own unique niche at the concert, opening act Theophilus London called for song requests from those who knew his material. London crafted his own passionate show using only a laptop as his compass. He rapped over track samples from Solange Knowles and Whitney Houston to invigorate the audience for Miike Snow.
     
‘It’s something special for this guy to come in pretty unknown, do what he did and move the crowd like that,’ said Drew Shields, a sophomore advertising and international relations major. A devout fan, Shields was one of few to know more about London’s work than Miike Snow’s.
     
‘I wasn’t even planning on coming to the show until I saw his name was added on the list,’ Shields said.

London admitted that after nine shows in seven days he was ‘pretty drained’ but gave it his all regardless, jumping off the stage to dance with the crowd in the middle of his act. One fortunate fan was pulled onto the stage to dance with London to the songs ‘Hum Drum Town’ and ‘Always Love You,’ off his mixed tape titled ‘This Charming Mixtape.’
     
‘I love Syracuse — I came here one time last month. I love this place and I love the basketball team,’ London said.
     
It didn’t matter whether audience members had heard of Miike Snow prior to Tuesday night. The low ticket price enticed many to check the band out live and be treated to a vibrant show performed by a band on the rise.

‘I was really impressed by Theophilus. As for Miike Snow, it just goes without saying that they were great,’ said Gabriella Landman, a sophomore in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries.

akgould@syr.edu
     
     

 

Published on March 30, 2010 at 12:00 pm