OK Go + Those Darlins, Tipitina’s, New Orleans

Those Darlins, with their punk rock styling and low slung guitars, can seriously play. Their sound is all at once refreshing and familiar. It reminds of the 1970s but with more melody. At Tipitina’s, the entire audience is enthralled with these three women and dude on drums who are making the rafters shake. They are completely entertaining and allow an entrance to country music that non-fans can absolutely enjoy. One of the things that works so well about them as performers is there doesn’t seem to be anything pre-planned, in stereotypical rock’n’roll fashion they permeate the space, take it as their own. There is also a sense of fun and play in their movements on stage, like they are really loving every second they spend yelling into the mics. That kind of delight is infectious and lasts all night.

They are also a very good opener for OK Go: in contrast to their support’s seemingly whatever goes attitude, an OK Go show is an incredibly well planned one. They are true showmen, taking everything that is captivating and compelling about their music videos and bringing it onstage. First of all, they have confetti cannons that go off throughout the show, always accenting but never becoming obnoxious. They’re also very upfront and self-effacing. While promising to show the new video for ‘White Knuckles’, frontman Damian Kulash explains that it’s in 3D, but ‘not that Disney shit, that shit’s for assholes. Not that we can’t afford it of course, I live in a house made of diamonds. That floats in the sky.’ They show their video in old-fashioned 3D with blue and red glasses handed out at the door. If any video works in that format, it’s this one.

OK Go have a special ability to translate their polished studio sound to their live act without it sounding false or pre-recorded. Bringing local musician Shemar Allen onstage to play the trumpet with them on two songs is also a stroke of brilliance, adding a level of musicianship that just blows the audience away. They laud the city for being the musical heart of the US, telling us people in most cities listen to recorded music but we get to experience it on the streets every day. Too true, they find their way into the hearts of New Orleanians, probably forever cementing themselves in the psyche of the city.

For their encore they come back onstage wearing LED-studded jackets. Backs to the audience, the lights flash round and round until finally the letters OK Go show up to the sound of a jackpot win. Turning around, they play three more songs with guitars that shoot lasers out of their necks. Showmanship is the key, reminding us that a band can not only be a group of people playing instruments, but also a show in the truest sense: one that is chock full of confetti canons, LEDs, lasers and attitude.