It’s a work night. So what? I pull up to Brooklyn Bowl with a sprained ankle and an itch for dancing. I bought the ticket for London-by-way-of-Nigeria dance band Ibibio Sound Machine the minute it was announced, and no ankle pain was going to get in the way of the show now. Jobs and workers are replaceable, but missed moments are not. I figure, you only get one life, so why care if you’re tired and a little sore the next day?
I limped my way to the front of the house and parked it near the DJ booth just south of Underground System’s Peter Matsen and fronthuman Domenica Fossati. The “Sleazy” bandmates spun a DJ session mix of dance-a-licious beats with some funky live flautation. An eclectic crowd was shimmying as bodies rolled in. I shaked what I could until I decided to park it and save my joints for the headliner.
Shortly after, the lights went out to make way for Lollise. The Botswani New Yorker was glowing under blacklight in an alien-like mask and mismatched gloves. Her afro-electro sound is punctuated by a syncopy that exists at the intersection of punk and prog jazz. She had me giggling at the holiness of booties of all kinds, and as the owner of a set of cheeks that could be described as “innies,” I was appreciative if a little perplexed. Lollise is a weirdo, wonderfully so. She’s also a flirt, shedding layers of her extra-terrestrial fashion throughout her set, which traveled through a little gentleness and back into electro for the close.
Finally, Ibibio took the stage. Eno Williams emerged clad in a mermaid-like gown with silver trims and platforms, completing the afrofuturist alien dreamscape theme for the night. The night roiled with songs from their latest offering, Pull The Rope, and a handful of flavors from previous album Electricity punctuating the rhythms. It was a setlist thick with shakers – and as Lollise said earlier, the booty was gonna do what the booty do, and it did. Alfred Bannerman, on guitar and Ghanain folk instrument korego, had the shred on point in his dapper patterned suit. I was neck deep in the soundwaves. Did I shout “FIYAHHHH” multiple times and sometimes at the wrong time? Yes. Did I mis-sing the words to “Protection From Evil?” Multiple times. Did I make numerous errors during “Them Say?” Of course, but I got to be who I am. And I am a whole entire wreck who loves Ibibio. My ankle? Forget it, I have two.
Survival Tip 2: Jobs and workers are replaceable, but missed moments are not. I figure, you only get one life, so why care if you’re tired and a little sore the next day?
-MSG
The night had some special moments. I got to lose myself in ballad “All That You Want.” Last time, this was the one track I didn’t get to hear – I can tick that off my bucket list. Williams talked to the crowd about “Political Incorrect,” one of Pull the Rope’s more addictive tracks. It turns out it was co-written via email by Underground System’s Matson, who joined the band to doink some thick bass tones. There were definitely more tracks that I can’t recall and a lot of me shaking my rear without being bothered by the vague notion of work in the morning. We ended triumphant with all the night’s talent taking the stage for “Pull the Rope” and its persuasive optimism. I love a band with the feel-goods. And even though I limped back to my car, it all felt well worth it. Work to live, don’t live to work.
Music-Survival-Guide 