Karen Ponzio Photos
Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds
“I live in the desert now,” said Kid Congo in between songs at his set with the Pink Monkey Birds at Cafe Nine on Friday. “I sit on my roof with a big sign that says ‘Take Me.’” He raised his arms to the ceiling and the crowd did the same, cheering him along and ready to be taken anywhere he was going. It was a night of sweet and sweaty worship of two bands who each brought their own kind of rock ‘n’ roll spirit to the stage on State and Crown and created an old-time new-wave goth-punk revival.
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club
Up first was the Denver-based (that’s in Colorado, Slim told the crowd) band Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, six members strong pumping through a set of songs that included references to everything from Jesus to the Port Authority. Along with vocalist Munly Munly, Cessna came down into the crowd during the first number to not only dance and sing but also to greet and shake the hands of all the fans standing up front (including this reporter). It would not be the last time they engaged the crowd in such a way, interacting with them from both on and off the stage, including dropping to their knees during another number, imploring and assisting the fans in the front row to do the same (including this reporter again. Please see the video for more of this).
This set had two part harmonies, a cappella verses, guitar solos (some on a double-neck Jesus and Mary guitar), steel pedal, pulsing rhythms that had the heart striving to match their beat, banjo, and more.
The crowd danced and sang and screamed and smiled throughout the set as one sweaty swaying worshipping mass. Before the set ended Cessna once again came down from the stage to dance and sing with Munly and made contact with his fans, thanking the crowd and Cafe Nine for having them.
“It is a privilege for us to be here,” he said. I could have sworn I heard an “amen” from more than a few in the crowd.
When Kid Congo last took the stage in New Haven, it was as a DJ for his monthly Sunday night Sex Beat Dance Party (recently carried on but in a new form as Shake N Vibrate with DJ B the T Jr.). In this incarnation with the Pink Monkey Birds he returned as the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll front man, invoking aliens and anyone else who was willing and able to get up and dance — which they did. The crowd pressed right to the front of the stage and moved so fast and hard the floor itself shook and vibrated. Kid and his three band members played with every inch of themselves, the sweat pouring off of them and the crowd as the beat got wilder and the air filled with even more heat generated from the music and the movement.
Songs like “Magic Machine,” “Psychic Future,” and “Ricky Ticky Tocky” made the inside of Cafe Nine an otherworldly space, and it was all directed with smiles and swagger from Kid himself. This party swung from sing alongs to searing instrumentals and the crowd responded feverishly to every moment of it. Was it hot? Yes. Was I tired afterwards? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Hell, yes. This was live music, after all, almost a religion unto itself.
During the encore, “For the Love of Ivy” by The Gun Club (another band from Kid Congo’s musical past), Kid asked the crowd to scream along with him. They did just that, but I had a feeling that no matter what Kid had asked them to do at that point, they would have done it. I know I would have. Amen.
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club continues its tour through September. Please visit its website for more info.