Plastic Little / Thunderheist / Megasoid

On top of bringing back the patterns, pastels and neon of the ’80s, some of the young ’uns on the local club scene are donning feather headbands, braids, moccasins and war paint. One of the three Injuns at this Peer Pressure-produced party even made the rounds of the club doing that high-pitched hand-on-mouth cry. Can blackface be far behind? Maybe burkas with glory holes? Vive le Quebec, man. Between Les Georges Leningrad (RIP), Eric Lapointe and Mario Dumont, we have bad taste in the bag. But so do Plastic Little, Philly’s foul-mouthed, Britpop-schooled hip-hop act, with their Smiths-styled album art and lyrics about getting girls high to explore all orifices. But before dessert, we were served fine DJ sets by A-Rock and Hatchmatik, and a so-so block by Megasoid (Sixtoo and Hadji from Wolf Parade). Their live production is hot if you’re actually watching the work they put into it, but everyone at the back was oblivious until Sixtoo started chastising the crowd for not dancing enough. Yet the bangers were way too short to really whip us up, and those recurring cough-syrup-speed grinds didn’t do it for anyone who wasn’t on mushrooms. The party finally went off with Thunderheist, a live duo that brought obese beats, undead-sexy vocals and their own set of ’80s samples, taking the Eurythmics’ "Sweet Dreams” back from Marilyn Manson, who killed that tune a decade ago. But Plastic Little were not about to be upstaged; after a solemn tribute to PackofRats’ recently deceased cat, they launched into an eclectic and energetic run of dance floor fillers with lyrics about bitches, butts and inebriation. Not being a full-on hip-hop head, or a girl who digs totally debasing rhymes, I like these guys because their over-the-top filth has brains and their music keeps you on your feet and on your toes, jacking everything from the Cure to Cambodian pop. Dopeness indeed.