This past week STRFKR kicked off their tour and played to a zealous crowd at Terminal West. Atlanta was the first stop on their tour; promoting their latest album Being No One, Going Nowhere. The low-fi indie pop band, initially a solo project by frontman Joshua Hodges, formed in Portland, Oregon back in 2007. The group has gone through a slew of name changes but their danceable and incredibly fun sound has remained the same.
The Los Angeles native, Gigamesh, warmed up the crowd. The one man disco infused act had a DJ style approach to start the dancing inside of Terminal West.
Wednesday night, after much anticipation and audience chatter, the band took the stage, along with two dancing astronauts, and started the night low-key and experimental with “Tape Machine”. The track is off their latest album and full of electro beats and lyrical darkness. This was an excellent choice to kick off the show; STRFKR’s way of letting us know they’re back with an arsenal of new material. 
STRFKR proceeded with recognizable tracks “Malmo” and “Beach Monster” off Miracle Mile. The bouncy audience couldn’t have enough of the tunes or atmosphere. Along with the variety of props, the stage was backlit with LED lights that illuminated along with the music. Josh Hodges informed the audience that the lights were created just for the band by the help of some of their friends; making the show special in every way.
The set continued with newer songs “Satellite” and “Open Your Eyes” before experiencing technical difficulties. The band apologized and clearly were upset they wouldn’t get to play any more of the new material for the audience. Everyone kept their cool, because hey, this kind of stuff happens. The band was now letting the audience take control and request songs. After a few minutes of discussion, STRFKR blasted us back into the spacey atmosphere with “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second”. An essential tune from their 2008 debut album Starfucker.
The crowd was in the mood for old school STRFKR tracks and that is what the band graced us with. STRFKR played their prime; a solid mix between Reptilians, Starfucker, and Jupiter. The band’s ability to fit tight guitar riffs and solos amidst their synths and bass grooves in their albums makes their live performance so much more thrilling. 
Things got weird (the good kind) when they jammed with “Boy Toy”. The crowd was captivated and watched astonishingly as one of the astronaut dancers fell into the crowd for a little surfing; revving us up for their classic cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”. An inflatable pink flamingo float appeared and was bounced from one person to the next while the audience and band let loose and wild with the anthem. 
After all of the props were used, the band was only able to play one more song for us, “While I’m Alive”. This proved to be just the finish that the audience wanted to hear. Many cheers were heard right when the band cruised through the song. Even though there was a lot of new material introduced — one thing remains the same, and that is that STRFKR will continue being a force to be reckoned with in the Electronic music scene.
Check them out on tour with Gigamesh and Psychic Twin:
First Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
