Sometimes it's good to step outside of your musical comfort zone, and I don't know how much more I can step outside of mine than by going to a chiptune festival. According to Wikipedia, chiptune is "... a style of electronic music made using the programmable sound generator sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers, and video game consoles." I know some people that would insist that's exactly the type of thing I should be into, but the only chiptune band I'm familiar with is Battlemode, who was putting on the entire festival. Thursday night was the opening night, which took place between The Jungle Community Music Club and Warehouse XI.
I got to the venues late due to real life, and I walked into Warehouse XI just as Saoirse Dream started. When you're exploring a new genre, sometimes it takes a little while to adjust to what exactly was happening. The first thing that surprised me was how many traditional instruments were being used. I've been to many electronic or hip hop shows where the music is entirely coming from a laptop, but that's not the case with chiptune (mostly). Also, the crowd was incredibly into the music and bands. This is an extremely niche style of music, and its fans were elated and awkwardly dancing up a storm. So far, so good.
Next up was Battlemode, who I know a few songs of. They're more the dance party style of chiptune, and might be the most mainstream of the artists I saw Thursday night. Based on what I knew of them, I expected a good time, and they delivered. One of the recurring themes of the night were technical issues, which were embraced as more of a feature than a glitch. When you have that many wires and instruments, it's bound to happen. Battlemode had instruments not work correctly, or outright not work at all, but it seemed to add to the fun of the night. They blended electronic gadgets and computers with traditional instruments. If you get a chance, check them out live sometime. They always put on a true event.
Up next were Decaying Tigers. Hailing from Las Vegas, they were appearing in Massachusetts for the first time. They put on more of a rock show with programmed chiptune elements, and they brought the party with them to Boston. A highlight for me was a cover of Kylie Minogue's iconic "Can't Get You Out of My Head," but that wasn't their only cover. The also broke out covers of The Prodigy and fellow Vegas band The Killers' "Somebody Told Me," which they encouraged the audience to sing along to, which pretty much the entire crowd did.
R41NB0W TR4$H was more what I expected for a chiptune festival. The Canadian artist mostly worked between a pair of Game Boys, and more looked like she was playing a game than making music. However, the music was nothing like what I would expect from the genre. This was more of a noise/experimental music. It was still kinda sorta danceable, but barely. I would have expected something that sounded like this opening for Sonic Youth back in the day, but not at a festival like this. Chiptune continued to surprise me as a genre.
Providence's Math the Band came up next. They're a band I've heard of, but never listened to, and had no idea they were chiptune. I was pleasantly surprised (thrilled, actually) to see that their drummer is Matt Zappa of Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys. There's no way they were going to be anything less than excellent if Zappa is involved, and they were. Math the Band might be the most punk band I've seen in years. They play a hyper energetic and batshit crazy style of punk rock with video game noises playing along with it. They were so punk that the guitarist attempted to change a broken string mid-song while still playing. That's something I've never seen in my decades of going to shows.
Unfortunately, due to life commitments, I had to head out after Math the Band, but I was entertained and intrigued. If Boston Bitdown happens in 2026, I'll have to clear more of my calendar to make it a true event.
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