We’re late in posting this (damn server!), but these photos and Nilina’s recap are too bright and hyper not to share. LocalCut is officially calling a bit of an end to the reign of Starfucker on this site unless Josh Hodges and Co. put out a new record. Definitely our most blogged-about artist of 2K8.

Chaos! Insanity! No security guards! Yes, when I witnessed the mob scene that was Matt & Kim during MFNW in early September, I thought that’s as crazy as Backspace could get. New Year’s Eve quickly proved that hypothesis wrong.

As I approached the venue I could hear the hum of electronics beginning to brew and once inside I saw the mass of young folk all crowded around the stage in anticipation of a Starfucker dancer party. After a few opening instrumentals [including the super catchy new song "Boy Toy" -Ed.], the pedal-poppers of Starfucker unleashed “Florida,” which instantly spawned handclaps and tons of audience participation. The trio even managed to turn the melancholy “Isabella of Castille” into a power jam. Whereas it was a misstep to play it so early during its own CD release show way back in September at the Doug Fir, coming so early on at Backspace didn’t dampen the mood one bit. In fact it elicited even bigger cheers.

And just as quick as the group played the hits, stage invaders swarmed the stage. At any other concert it’d be for a brief moment of glory for the conquistador and then they’d descend back into the crowd. Not in this case. As more and more kids arrived on the stage, they stayed standing, front and center, serving as stage decoration, dancing companions, maraca shakers, table holders and impromptu bouncers. Earning extra points in hilariousness was the constant scaling of the treehouse. Soon a healthy amount of crowd surfing commenced, with one particular surfer covering significant ground due to just how far back the soldout crowd spanned.

The countdown ’till midnight was set in motion when drummer/bassist Shawn Glassford held up his iPhone to indicate the magical midnight hour was but a mere two minutes away. Cue Starfucker mastermind Josh Hodges kicking off the countdown ridiculously early—beginning at 40 seconds instead of the usual 10-second countdown. There were a few voices that joined in from the top, but the full volume of the audience counting along succeeded in drowning him out once Hodges entered the single digits.

After the stroke of midnight passed the band returned to the tunes, but before doing so made the declaration that everyone should take off their clothes, leading the way by stripping down themselves. Not to their skivvies mind you. The group shed their masculine formal wear to reveal dresses, that signature look of theirs seemingly abandoned over the past few months.

While bandmates Josh Hodges and Ryan Biornstad were made practically immobile by the legions of added bodies onstage, drummer/bassist Shawn Glassford repeatedly took to standing on his stool and using his drum-kit for extra leverage in gaining balance. His elevated stance under the discoball not only allowed him to gaze over the sea of people, but lead them in more of those synchronized handclaps and various other gestures. However when a video montage of George Bush getting hit by a shoe was projected behind the band a good portion of the crowd took to raising their middle fingers at the screen without any instruction. Goodbye 2008.

The night closed out with a start, stop (due to equipment becoming unplugged) and restart of “Dance Face” all while footage from Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” music video aired behind the band. Somebody shoulda put a ring on these boys fingers—it sure has been a great 2008 for Starfucker.

Links:
StarfuckerSpace

Photos by Nilina Mason-Campbell

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