Meeting Rodney
On an unusually wet day this summer I’m invited to go see a new acquaintance’s band at the Peer Hat. Tasked with taking some pictures of Peacock Method‘s set. I arrive an hour early to get a shot of the band before they start. Fortunately, this means I manage to catch the supporting act, Rodney.
What started off as a simple beat with some assisted synth, quickly diverged into lyrics about craving the taste of piss. As time moves on, the drummers lost their beat and half of the audience is on the stage. The lead singer is in nothing but his boxers and socks.
The audience participants, which were clearly in on the absurdity and general vibe of the show, were just adding their own sense of chaos. Bystanders cluelessly interact with the band’s instruments with full permission. Pressing random keys on the synth and hitting the drums in non-uniform, infantile ways. To be frank, the sound coming from the stage was an absolute pain in the ears. But that’s not what Rodney is about.
Unexpected chaos
If Rodney is a band that I have listened to, or if I’d have paid to see a setlist, I’d be upset. Fortunately, I could enjoy Rodney for what it was, art. Rodney is a student art performance on performance-enhancing drugs. Conversely, If no drugs were consumed prior to the show starting, I’ll eat my wizard’s hat.
The band didn’t have any set lists. Rodney didn’t seem to be aware if they were even playing a song or how much time had passed. To add to the absurdity, all of the band members swapped instruments which none could play to any enviable degree. Momentarily, they ask how long they had left on stage. Being informed that they had ten minutes, they quickly wrapped it up. The finishing move is for the lead musician to crash the crowd and fall to sleep on the filthy floor.
Possible influences
Watching Rodney feels much like an Adult Swim bit. Specifically, the entire show is reminiscent of Eric Andre and the chaos that follows him. What really helped with the absurdist image was the wizard robe and hat donned by the synth pianist. I kept laughing to myself about how similar it was to the teenage character in F is for Family, with his band the “Shire of Frodo“.
When I first saw the band on stage I had hoped that they took themselves seriously. I’d imagined them singing songs relevant to their outfits. Maybe some 80s synth about space travel with some wizard references thrown in. But I’m glad that logic was thrown out of the door. I doubt I’ll forget the night any time soon.
If you want to catch Rodney they are playing at the Peer Hat again on September 26th
i think rodney are great