The Ting Tings and Hottub Live at Terminal 5 (3/16/09)
One of the most powerful creatures on this earth is a woman. Don’t believe me? Three fierce ones took the stage Monday night and absolutely splattered my brains on the wall. They go by the names of Co-Co Machete, Loli Pop and Ambr33zy but use the alias Hottub to define the entirety of the group – along with DJs Jay-Sonic and Funky Finger who keep the beats spinning. They were dirty, boisterous, sexy, intimidating and more importantly… their hip-hop-daft-punk sound was phenomenal. Their outfits consisted of an old prom dress, dirty t-shirts, cheetah print tights, massive glasses and an overall un-showered demeanor that fit incredibly well with their fresh, bold sound. Hesitation did not exist in Hottub’s vocabulary – they were in the faces of those in the crowd, flashing breasts with electrical tape pasties, climbing on barricades, crowd surfing and finally climbing into the crowd to initiate a mini dance party. Everyone seemed willing to take part in their antics – they were either impressed or absolutely terrified to protest. I would not classify these three gems as “rappers” because what is rap these days anyway? These girls have perfected the art of spitting sweet rhymes over contagious beats and I hope to see these California natives return to the East coast in the near future. They definitely got the ball rolling for what was next.
Jules De Martino soon took the stage, stood at the keyboard in a hypnotic trance and began looping the first chords of “We Walk,” before subtly taking his seat behind the drums. Out came the second half of The Ting Tings, darling Katie White, and the room combusted. I couldn’t fathom the amount of energy two people were capable of producing and keeping at such a high level throughout the entirety of the show. The Ting Tings could have powered half of Manhattan with the amount of voltage radiating out of them and into the dancing crowd. White’s fist proudly pumped in the air during the catchy melody in “Keep Your Head” and the duo slowed things down with “Traffic Light,” showing the multi-musical talents of De Martino as he simultaneously played guitar and drums while backing White’s vocals. “Be The One” brought out a vibrantly-wigged four-piece brass section – standing like store window mannequins when not playing while posing differently with their horns. As the horns left the stage, White took a seat as De Martino raised a hand silencing the screaming crowd. Within seconds the the anticipated “Shut Up And Let Me Go” took Terminal 5 by storm and the final “Hey,” left for the fans to scream, could have woken the dead… or at least the neighbors. Considering the popular duo has yet to release a sophomore album, the show seemed to fly by, but wasn’t the least bit boring – They even teased us with a snippet of the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.”
“You’re all fucking amazing… and now you gotta dance,” screamed De Martino as he reentered the stage for a two-song encore. He started off with beats from Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and even the Ghostbusters theme song before looping a steady beat for “Impacilla Carpisung.” The show concluded with their electrifying tour de force, “That’s Not My Name,” and before exiting the stage De Martino and White confidently stood and applauded all those who came out to enjoy one enormously mind-blowing show.
