Grimes Presents: March of the Pugs @ The Shrine 4/23/16
The Internet came out in full-force for Grimes Presents: March of the Pugs, An Evening With Christine & The Queens and Tei-Shi, by that I mean much of the crowd jumped straight from a Tumblr post. The lovely thing about the Internet in this case is its ability to unite three very different, international artists into one extravaganza.
Valerie Teicher, aka Tei Shi, began the march, taking to the stage in bright, high-waist trousers and an even higher ponytail. As I mentioned in a previous review of her show at the Roxy, Teicher’s soaring vocals are both enticing and sinister, like a siren calling from her rocks. Her finale, the angrily ambient “Basically,” finished her set while simultaneously hyping the audience for what was to come, as Teicher’s voice builds to a scream that foreshadowed the screams of Grimes.
While Grimes name sits at the top of the bill, Heloise Letissier, aka Christine & the Queens may hold claim to performer of the night. Clad simply in black, she sauntered across the stage with a swagger evocative of the late Michael Jackson and (now) Prince, whom she also paid tribute to. She flowed smoothly between French and English, Kanye and Technotronic, weaving sounds together while strutting and thrusting her way across the stage. Her dipping into Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You” felt a natural progression; music does sound quite lovely in Letissier’s world.
Flanked by her minions, Claire Boucher took us into the twisted, Technicolor “Realiti” of Grimes, one which straddled both paradise and nightmare. Decked out in pink hair and bright red high-tops, Boucher stomped and screamed and strummed her guitar to the delight of everyone present. Blasts from the past like Visions’ classic “Oblivion” synched well alongside new cuts including the biting “Venus Fly” and the EDM-infused “Go.” The energy grew to explosive heights by Boucher’s finale, her “favorite track,” the vivaciously violent “Kill V Maim,” which completely tore the Shrine apart.
It truly speaks volumes that so many people of different ages and social scenes congregated to hear music of such unique, innovative artists who utilize global influences to create their sounds. Much of the march was sung in other languages, French obviously by Letissier, but also Russian by Boucher as a replacement for Aristophanes’ Taiwanese in “Scream.” Aside from linguistic differences, each of these young ladies brought entirely unique sounds to their acts, creating a sonic atmosphere only made possible by the wide-reaching powers of the worldwide web.
No better title suited this evening than March of the Pugs, because, just like cute, quirky, little animals, the Internet finds unity in eccentric, forward-thinking, female pop stars.
