Glitch Mob, The Metro, Chicago

In many regards, the reception of a live performance largely depends on its attendees’ pre-show musical convictions and therefore positive outcome depends on the band’s ability to simultaneously wow fans and convert skeptics in one succinct performance. The latter challenge is by default more difficult, but electronic-based acts in particular seem to find issue in swaying their doubters. The clear-cut challenge for electro artists lies in the performance aspect of the genre’s digital format and general melodic repetitiveness. Audience members become discouraged when their hard earned dollars are spent on a performance that features lightly remixed MP3’s with a stage show that only consists of strobes, head bobs, and encouragingly throwing one’s hands up in the air. In a sense, live musicianship is all too often lost by many in the dance and electro scene in favor of a lackluster press-play mentality.

Pleasantly breaking from this monotonous mold, L.A.-based electro-hop hybrid The Glitch Mob are an invigorating live act that should leave many of their genre-mates taking notes. Smoothly combining the swagger of hip-hop show, dance-ability of an electro act, and some performance elements of a rock show the trio has constructed an interesting crossbreed that translates impeccably well live.

As the The Glitch Mob take the stage at The Metro it is clear that the presentation aspect of their music is of the utmost importance. With three of sets of forward facing, touch-sensitive midi controllers, called Lemurs, and a six-piece arsenal of Roland V-Drum snare controllers, The Glitch Mob powerfully command the crowd’s attention. Like clockwork, Justin Boreta, Ed Ma, and Josh Mayer flawlessly tap and smash out numerous tracks from their 2010 debut ‘Drink The Sea’ as the audience swarm and rave with increasing intensity. After the quick warm-up of a few familiar tracks the band take a timeout to introduce themselves by having each member solo a booming break beat on their Lemur. The crowd roar back in appreciation of the display as both fans and newcomers are wholly captivated.

The group power on with a rigorous pace and thunderously deliver tracks enjoyable like ‘Drive It Like You Stole It’ and a rap remix of ‘Fistful of Silence.’ As the night hits a pulsing stride the group’s groove begins to unfortunately become a coast. The music is high energy, the performance commendable, but the tracks performed begin to meld into a singular synth onslaught. A certain depth is lost, not so much in the musicianship, but in the monotony of the source material. As interesting a The Glitch Mob could attempt to make their music translate live at many points of the set their tracks lack the much-needed depth that would allow them to transcend many electro clichés. Pleasantly however, near the end of the night the band break the pattern of ‘Drink the Sea’ tracks and reinvigorate the audience with an outstanding mash up of MIA’s ‘XXXO’ with Daft Punk’s ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’, closely followed by a remix for Matty G’s ‘West Coast Rocks’ that leaves the venue going nuts.

The Glitch Mob deserve some serious praise for their ability to win over audiences with an exciting electro performance. They may in many ways lack the artistic pull of other buzzing electro-heavy acts like Flying Lotus and can even fall prey to the monotony of drum and bass-esque chugging, but the L.A. trio still promise a riveting, body rocking evening of grimy electro fusion.