Gus Gus/Lamb - El Rey Theatre

Gus Gus is an Icelandic performance art collective.  This appearance at the El Rey Theatre with Lamb was billed as "Cold Breath 97," appropriate since Gus Gus have been labeled with the term "ice hop."  I was very impressed by this amazing show which featured the combination of the varied vocal stylings of three different vocalists, modern dance moves, inventive visuals (slides featuring group members in melodramatic poses were used as the backdrop for arty slogans), and electronic beats reminiscent of the Chemical Brothers.  The music ranged from Portishead-like trip hop tunes to more straightforward techno-influenced dance music with vocals and/or Sugarcubes-style rapping.

As Gus Gus opened their set, they performed a song with vocals which reminded me of Alison Moyet.  As the vocalist came onstage, there was some confusion as to his/her gender due to his/her androgynous appearance.  Well he turned out to be male.  And from that point on, the band continued to take the audience on a meandering trip, exposing us to provocative ideas while simultaneously providing musical beats for those inclined to dance.  The female singer contributed sultry vocals for the trip hop numbers and the other male vocalist mugged for the crowd and shouted heavily-accented soundbites, which for the most part I couldn't understand.  The slogan projected on the screens as the band came on for their encore was "The slaves did not want to leave," and this correctly conveyed crowd sentiment.  A pretty amazing show; the melange of elements was too cool for words.  I also have to admit to being mesmerized by the super cute female vocalist, reminiscent of countrywoman Bjork in earlier days.

Opening band Lamb performed an excellent set.  There had been a huge buzz surrounding Lamb, and I came away thinking that they deserved every bit of praise they've gotten.  This is as close to Portishead as you're ever going to get.  However, the trip hop is supplemented by elements of jazz trumpet and that offshoot of jungle known as drum and bass.  Torchy lyrics from the female vocalist and complex polyrhythms from the synthetic percussion section really spiced up the standard trip hop formula.  No wonder Bjork loves them.