Superorganism with Yuno at The Imperial in Vancouver (08/31/18)
Superorganism may be the most unique pop act of 2018, and Friday night an enthusiastic group of music lovers had the pleasure of witnessing the UK-based group’s first performance in Vancouver. The show marked night two of their world tour in support of their self-titled debut released in March. A few hundred heads crowded the Imperial, one of Vancouver’s prime venues for an intimate concert experience. The energy was high as the 9 o’clock start time approached, the crowd quickly filling up with hipsters and music enthusiasts. If you looked closely enough you may have even spotted Vancouver’s own Nardwuar, hidden amongst the crowd in his iconic tartan hat.
Opening for Superorganism was Florida-based musician Yuno. The young artist of Jamaican descent released his debut EP in June, showing off a vibrant and genre-blending group of tracks. His sound is anywhere between The Beach Boys and Animal Collective, a wonderful surf-pop style with an alternative edge. Yuno was backed by a drummer and two keyboardists/guitarists; their first time touring as a foursome, according to the singer.
The group hit the stage at quarter after 9 and had the crowd entranced with a dreamy six-song set. The crunchy guitar and soaring rhythm of “Why For” was an absolute thrill, while the ethereal calm and poignant emotion of “Fall In Love” proved to be a highlight of the night. It’s unknown how familiar most of the crowd was with Yuno, but audience members gave a great Vancouver welcome to the artist, showing plenty of praise between songs. Yuno finished the set with his single “No Going Back,” a song that was sure to catch the ear of any first-time listeners there that night.
There was a half hour break between sets which had many attendees growing restless in the crowded venue. This seemed to be the only complaint of the night though, and the wait was soon forgotten as Superorganism took over the minds of the crowd with a visually rich performance that seemed to take you into space. The lights went out at 10:25 and the crowd was greeted with a large projected video backdrop to the stage, displaying a quick introduction from the band’s visual artist, (a credited member that doesn’t perform with the band) Robert Strange. From there the video turned to a starry night sky that quickly began to fill up with colourful “SUPERORGANISM” tags. The seven bandmembers walked on stage in a cult-like fashion, hoodies up, some of them holding white crystal balls and ringing triangles hypnotically.
Just as the sound of ringing seemed about to overflow, the noise cut out and vocalist Orono Noguchi (OJ) sang her first words of the night: “When I grow up I wanna be a superorganism, come on give it to me.” Yes, it’s a song by the same name as the band, and it provided the perfect open to the set, embedding their name into the crowd with a catchy beat. The band played every song off their ten-track debut along with a good several minutes of Q and A with Noguchi towards the end. The young vocalist out of Japan is at most 19 years old, standing at about five feet, but she held a calming coolness about her in front of the crowd. The remaining members, each under a different nickname, have a few more years under their belts. Harry plays the guitar, Emily (not a woman) sits behind the keys, and Tucan holds down the drums. Female vocalists B and Ruby provide backing vocals and stage dramatics along with South Korean member, Soul.
With each song accompanied by an assortment of colourful and flashy visuals, the 50-minute set provided much more for the senses then simply the music. While the songs themselves offer a refreshing and innovative take on pop music, they are fully experienced in the live setting. Set-closer “Something for Your M.I.N.D.” is a great example, the projected video almost giving the impression the band is on a moving stage. Backing vocalists B and Ruby also had some fun with prop apples during the “crunch” moments of the song. After seeing the band live, it’s clear why they have a non-performing band member credited as the visual artist.
Though a short set, it was a hell of a ride and hopefully when the band comes through town again they’ll have some additional songs to play. Thank you, Superorganism for stopping by Vancouver, we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.
