STRFKR Strikes Again
by Rebecca Park
Massive thanks to WMRE for hooking us up with tickets to the STRFKR concert, with Gigamesh and Psychic Twin, at Terminal West on November 2, 2016. My co-host Jennie Bass, fellow Emory student Duncan Cock-Foster, and I thoroughly enjoyed the surprisingly low-key vibes of this band, renowned for its dance party hits. Despite numerous moments of on-stage confusion when playing their new songs, the overall performance was light-heartened and suffused with dance-friendly hooks.
Hailing from Portland OR, Joshua Hodges (vocals, keyboard, guitar, drums) began the indie rock/indie electro band as a solo project. It quickly gathered momentum and transformed into a band as Shawn Glassford, Keil Corcoran, and Patrick Morris joined the project. Since 2007, STRFKR has been making dance music that I can actually listen to – a seamless blend of catchy hooks and chill beats.Although Jennie and I had both seen STRFKR previously, we were surprised by the utter lack of rave/dance fans that we had seen previously. Instead, we were more than happy to be a part of the more low-key crowd of this small, intimate venue. The warm-up acts Psychic Twin and Gigamesh both killed it too – they were a pleasant surprise for those who had not previously heard their music. In my opinion, STRFKR’s cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was the highlight of the show – seeing full-grown bearded men getting down on the dance floor to this pop sensation.Overall, it was pure enjoyment to have another night with STRFKR and learn about Psychic Twin and Gigamesh!