 Making my way across sludgy, slippery Birmingham,
I wonder how many people will have braved the
snow for Chicago band, Ok Go. So as I skid into
the venue, I’m surprised to find that it’s
sold out, and is being upgraded to the Academy
2. Moving Ok Go’s many instruments and props
takes a while, but finally we’re ready to
go by half 8.
Malpas are the warm-up act, quite literally,
and help us shake the snowflakes off our clothes.
They’re a local band, but unknown to me.
You might recognise frontman Ali Forbes from Envy
and Other Sins, and their wonderful mix of folk
and synth have you feeling like you’re in
a dream. Definitely ones to watch, and a perfect
support for the main act.
After such a strong start, Ok Go’s set
could easily be a disappointment, but I know I’ll
be proven wrong as the roadies start setting the
stage with the band’s intriguing array of
props. There’s a huge bass drum, a large
projector screen filling the back of the stage,
and a keyboard with more pedals for sound-effects
than there are keys. There’s also confetti
lying all over the stage, and I wonder whether
we’re in for a bit of a sprinkling later
on.
 Finally, bassist Tim Norwind emerges and begins
banging the drum, surrounded by smoke and lasers.
The rest of the band join him and launch into
‘Shooting The Moon’, which gets the
room moving straight away. I’ll be honest,
I’m not that familiar with Ok Go’s
repertoire. In fact, all I can remember of them
is their Grammy Award winning music video for
‘Here It Goes Again’ back in 2006
(the one with the treadmills). So I’m pleasantly
surprised to find myself enjoying their set so
much, despite not knowing any of their songs.
Frontman Damian Kulash is on top form, despite
the fact that he’s been battling with food-poisoning
for the majority of the day, and the other members
are just as charismatic (in a brilliantly geeky
sort of way).
They put their props to good use too, which gives
the gig that extra element of fun. The projector
screen starts showing surreal random images (women
being splashed with water, that sort of thing)
and goes on to show live feeds from cameras mounted
by each band member. Damian’s camera, mounted
on his microphone, proves a weirdly distorted
image of his face as he sings, adding even more
to the surrealism of the gig.
 The highlight of the evening, without a doubt,
is a rendition of one of their older songs ‘What
To Do’, using nothing but church hand bells.
Out comes a table with a red tablecloth and 20
or so different sized bells. All the band members
get involved and put on bell ringers’ gloves
before they start. I’m surprised by how
tight the performance is, and how well it suits
the song, in such contrast to their usual sound.
Damian’s voice and accompanying harmonies,
unobstructed by guitars and drums, fills the room
with such a pure sound, stunning the audience
into silence. At the end of the song, the band
members take a dignified bow, and the room explodes
with applause. If you can’t imagine how
entrancing this could be, Hit YouTube to see the
multi-talented bunch turn their hands to a more
traditional genre.
The set contains a great mix of old and new,
acoustic and fast-tempo songs. Towards the end
of the night, the confetti machine makes its first
of many appearances, to accompany new single,
‘This Too Shall Pass’. Damian jumps
into the crowd to help us learn the chorus (and
has a little difficulty getting back onstage)
and soon everyone is singing along. If you haven’t
already, check out the video for the track on
their website. It’s just as fun and imaginative
as their past offerings, and well deserving of
a second Grammy.
 The whole evening has a real party-vibe, helped
along by a further succession of confetti blasts
during the end of the set. When they return for
their encore, they do so in their now-famous LED
jackets, spelling out ‘OK GO’ on their
backs as they play the last songs of the night.
The psychedelic ‘WTF’ kicks off the
encore, followed by ‘Skyscrapers’
and the wonderful ‘Invincible’ finishes
the evening off with a bang (and another quick
blast from the confetti canon).
If, like me, you only know Ok Go as ‘the
ones on the treadmill’ you should check
out the rest of their material right now. They
deserve to be more than one hit wonders. And if
you get chance to see them live, don’t miss
it; it’s an audio-visual treat that will
have you raving to your friends for weeks to come.
Malpas – 4/5
Ok Go – 5/5
Review By Helen Williams
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