Saw Die Antwoord Live at the Tabernacle
Last night I had the distinct privilege of seeing Die Antwoord perform live in a reasonably small venue, Atlanta's own Tabernacle. I ran across the group rather by accident through the Internet a few years back and was quickly taken in by their absurd, over-the-top characters, Yolandi's exquisite rapping skills, and Ninja's phenomenal art direction — not to mention that the music is pretty damned catchy. Their music videos are visually varied and usually have a distinct story to tell. The attention to detail they put into their videos actually may be exceeded by the energy they put on the stage.
The group has become renowned for their bouncy, interactive, and wildly energetic stage performances. So while I am quite hesitant to see live music performances (due to nearly all non-acoustic shows suffering from low sound quality and excessive volume) I knew I had to make an exception for this group. Equipped with a pair of downbeats, I made my way up towards the front and started waiting.
While they may have been one of the singularly shortest shows and were shockingly late to the stage (the show had a 1 hour warm-up DJ and Die Antwoord did not step onto the stage until he had been off it for over an hour), it also ranks up there as one of my favorites. Their performance was simultaneously manic and precise. Choreographed dance numbers (the band travels with two professional dancers) were paired with spur-of-the-moment improvisations, including several impassioned speeches from Ninja in honor of Atlanta's music history and one moment of Yolandi so thoroughly pantsing Ninja that the crowd was now intimately familiar with Ninja's genital grooming habits — this particular event visibly displeased Ninja and further confirmed that Yolandi is the crazier of the two.
Die Antwoord doesn't produce gold on every track of every album, but each album consistently has two or three tracks you'll find yourself humming at inappropriate times. Combining that with their consistently artistic visuals and energetic live performances, I imagine Die Antwoord will have a rather large and rabidly loyal fan base for as long as they want to perform. I know I'll be keeping an eye out for another opportunity to see them.