As about the only Eggplants novice at the gig, I had heard only that they were an eccentric trio from New York, and was prepared for difficult jazz if need be. Luckily The Eggplants were very listenable, with Kenny Young on acoustic guitar and a voice which will inevitably draw comparison with They Might Be Giants (they clearly come from the same intellectual/humorous milieu), a bassist and a drummer who gets a lot out of a sample pad, a cymbal and a snare, which means that they were well mixed at a comfortable volume - which is good going for The Vaults.
They inhabit a cartoonish world populated largely by animals such as a six foot squirrel called Earl (which rhymes with 'squirrel' in their accent), a drunken crime-solving grouse and a superhero frog who, as they put it, "always licks his opponents". Children and sci-fi fans would love it, I'm sure. As someone for whom humour alone can't make a band great, I can also report that they are fine musicians, with simple but catchy melodies, and a characterful rhythmic underlay that transcends the scant resources. They do lose a point for the line in which "I waited for light years" (it's a unit of distance, guys), but it's a small complaint in a great show. My favourite song was 'My Dinner With Elvis', in which the King advises Kenny to get a proper job, but French novelist Emile Zola speaks up for rock and roll - with a nod to the well-known song by The Kinks of course.
Don't expect visceral thrills or catharsis from these guys, but if you're after some good clean fun, I can tell you that everyone left smiling.
http://www.eggplantis.com
They inhabit a cartoonish world populated largely by animals such as a six foot squirrel called Earl (which rhymes with 'squirrel' in their accent), a drunken crime-solving grouse and a superhero frog who, as they put it, "always licks his opponents". Children and sci-fi fans would love it, I'm sure. As someone for whom humour alone can't make a band great, I can also report that they are fine musicians, with simple but catchy melodies, and a characterful rhythmic underlay that transcends the scant resources. They do lose a point for the line in which "I waited for light years" (it's a unit of distance, guys), but it's a small complaint in a great show. My favourite song was 'My Dinner With Elvis', in which the King advises Kenny to get a proper job, but French novelist Emile Zola speaks up for rock and roll - with a nod to the well-known song by The Kinks of course.
Don't expect visceral thrills or catharsis from these guys, but if you're after some good clean fun, I can tell you that everyone left smiling.
http://www.eggplantis.com