Take one part metal guitar, one dash of lasers, one crowded dance floor and two Israeli DJs. Shake well, and serve hot. That about sums up the recipe for Wednesday’s Infected Mushroom show at the Majestic, an event that set glass rattling and heart rates racing.
Infected Mushroom producer/keyboardist Erez Eisen and producer/singer Amit “Duvdev” Duvdevani were joined by guitarist Tom Cunningham and drummer Rog?rio Jardim for the show, bringing their brand of trance music to gasping, guitar-shredding, cymbal-crashing life.
The emergence of a glowing, grinning blow-up demonic mushroom cued the start of the madness, and the cheer from the crowd was soon drowned out by the opening notes of “Saeed:” a show classic that set the tone for the high-energy night.
Drumsticks flashed, guitar picks blurred, Erez’s fingers mesmerized and Duvdev’s grinning face got the audience to scream along to the familiar verses. Backed up by a hypnotizing light show of unexpected proportions for a venue of The Majestic’s size, the band played favorites like “Wish” and “Smashing the Opponent,” bringing in material from its soon-to-be-released album as well.
The new album is being touted as more electronic than albums past, and the tracks featuring dubstep, synthesized vocals and club-like build-ups proved the claim. While elements of mainstream electronic were certainly present, it’s unlikely you’ll hear the new album blaring from Langdon when it comes out. The band stayed true to its roots – in one memorable moment, the guitarist plucked a Deadmau5 head from its owner (one poor show-goer in the crowd) and fed it to the blow-up mushroom as proof.
Infected Mushroom is known for live shows that deviate from studio recordings, and the audience full of metal heads, candy kids and PBR-fueled co-eds at Wednesday’s show heard no songs the way they had heard them before. With extended transitions, spontaneous breakdowns and switched-up vocals the crowd was kept on its toes, though the suspense didn’t seem to stop anyone from jumping around on them.
And jump they did. Roughly 500 people attended the show, and as many that could fit crowded onto the dance floor. Fists pumped, heads banged and glowsticks whirred: a combination of movement not commonly seen at shows. But, then again, Infected Mushroom isn’t a common band.
Unlike many electronic acts, Infected Mushroom gets completely and totally immersed in performing, bringing the same level of energy to Madison that it would to New York or Israel. Not content to sing to the audience, Duvdev interacted with it – snatching a drumstick from Rogerio and conducting the crowd’s dancing. Although the Madison crowd ranged from those wearing corsets and leather to down vests and American Eagle, they all rallied together to move at Duvdev’s whim.
For those able to tear their eyes away from the spectacle onstage, the band’s visuals could be seen on a screen just above it. While the group’s music may have strayed slightly from its psy-trance roots, its visuals stay firmly in the psychedelic camp. Dancing UFO mushrooms pulsed to the beat, amoebas squirmed and Duvdev’s face could be seen singing from the palm of a hand. The video coupled with a glittering laser show made it difficult to decide whether to watch the band or the visuals.
When Duvdev said his thank you, the crowd groaned and cried out for more. After little more than an hour, the energy level had only increased. The group acquiesced, returning to the stage for an instrumental encore. The audience was still hungry for more when the final notes rang out. Only a spectacular performance could frenzy a Madison audience into the wee hours of a Thursday morning. Luckily for show-goers, spectacular performing is what Infected Mushroom does best.
