On an outdoor stage in 80 degree weather the Indie-rock, no-wavish, post-punk group from DC, Q and Not U played one of their last shows ever. It was hot and sweaty but that did not deter the hundreds of fans from having a major dance party. I was walking around with a 4 year-old girl who truly enjoyed shaking her booty to their funky grooves. It is clear that when Q and Not U plays live, they want to make you dance, and most likely will .The music swayed back and forth between the funkier more soul driven sounds of the band’s newest album Power and the more guitar and bass motivated beats of past albums Different Damage and No Kill No Beep Beep. Their older stuff is danceable but a lot more punk sounding in vocals and more Indie-rock/hardcore in their instrumental stylings. Their more recent songs have weird electronic “waaah” sounds, a lot more keyboard and high pitched guitar riffs as well as soulful high sounding vocals that make for a soul-train feel to the music. Either way, the crowd was bumpin’.
Opening for Q and Not U was Son of Nun, a political hip-hop group singing about the working class majority. Their beats were catchy but repetitive and the message while meaningful got tiring because of the ways they executed it. The drums were the most noticeable part of the group next to the vocals because they were loud, exciting and constant. It was probably a huge honor from them to get to play with Q and Not U because they pulled in such a large crowd.
This innovative and musically stylized group is made up of drummer/vocalist John Davis, guitar/vocalist Harris Klahr, and guitar/vocalist Chris Richards and formerly of bassist/vocalist Matt Borlik. From the strange guitar plucks and feedback to the textured riffs of guitar and bass, they are so different and fun-seeming in their playing that you really do just want to hang out in a living room and listen to music with them. Unfortunately, since they are breaking up, there isn’t much more time to get down to chatting, which is probably why there was a ridiculous amount of people at the show.
What can be heard in their music, other then their rockin’ beats, distinct vocals and experimental sound is the concern for mankind and the desire for peace and positive treatment of others as well as the environment. Their political feelings are enraveled in their twisted guitar riffs, pumped up drum beats and electronic pulses. The vocals range from funky high falsetto to half screaming emotional sing-talking. This creates for an over abundance of jumping, screaming and singing. Their driving percussions create incredibly good dance beats and the keyboards can either make it more grooving or add strange organ sounds to their songs. The musicianship is so versatile on each album as well as live. At one point Klahr was playing the keyboard and guitar at the same time, which was pretty unbelievable. From everything they stand for to everything they sound like it’s really sad that Q and Not U are breaking up, because who knows what they would have come up with next. That is not what matters though. What matters is their support of the community. How into their music, their fans and their message they are. And how much they can make you sweat from dancing so hard at their shows.
Show:
Q and Not U
