This was my first time seeing Oneida, who played as a five piece with both a brashness and an energy that caused ears to ring hours after they were finished. The sound was thrashy but still rhythmic and recalled the climax of an action film several times. Hailing from Brooklyn, it was easy to feel as if the band was bringing to Chicago some of NYC's edge.
Oneida is currently in this midst of their North American tour to support their newest release on Jagjaguwar. I think given their type of music, they might get compared to a thrashier Ratatat (without all the ego) or the band Lightning Bolt. It's definitely part of a budding genre of experimental music that isn't quite just noise rock because of it's structure but definitely uses elements of this and rock combined to establish the sound.
I think one thing that is different from Oneida and many other bands is that it actually appears on stage as if there is no real leader. Still, the timing is essential in this case and Oneida have that mastered for the most part. The vocals often switch off from song to song and there was no one bandmate doing the banter inbetween them. It really seemed like a shared venture, which is nice to see. It also added a sense of unpredictability that made the overall set more interesting to watch and hear.
Another thing that struck me as odd was that, although the cords of the songs are very heavy and it seemed like there must be a bass line, it was actually a guitar being played more like a bass. To have two guitarists with such a bass heavy sound is also very unique. In addition, Oneida added the sounds of analog synth and keyboard to the mix which helped provide more of a sense of pace and rhythm at times than melody. Perhaps the instrument that provided the most in terms of stage presence was the drums, however, their drummer playing fast and furious.
I think if I were to add one thing to their performance, it probably would have been to make the vocals a little more prominent in the mix. They struck me as a really nice way to cut some of the intensity and struck me as gentler than I would have imagined from the instrument playing. Overall, everything seemed to flow on its established course,first with newer songs then some old favorites until the encore. It was clear the audience was feeling it from their ecstatic applause.
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