You! Me! Dancing!

Don’t mean to belabor my rock and roll lecture of the other day, which as an issue at this point in music history is hopefully quaint, if not still tired. (Became quaint and no longer tired back in 1992?) But, dang, if I didn’t have another rock and roll moment the other day. Went to see Welsh seven-piece Los Campesinos at Neumos Friday. (A peculiar thing ab the live performance is that despite the fact that I can probably count on one hand the number of live recordings I treasure seeing an act live can dispel in two or three songs questions that might linger for years on record.) Los Campesinos are a pop group, not a punk group. Punk, see, is their “idea” of rock and roll, captured best in lines like “don’t tell me to do the math” and “eyes wide open” and “I’m better off with artificial intelligence.” They’re more Belle & Sebastian than X Ray Spex. Think mid-90s Chumbawamba. If you’re a record geek think the kind of UK punk pop group that K Records would celebrate in the ‘80s: Flatmates, Pastels, Shop Assistants, Vaselines. Part of the Love Rock Revolution, or something like that. Most of Los Campesinos live set, though, was a not quite tuneful, but never tuneless, din. But in one song, the din purged in a long tension building intro, the disco ball twirling, a bouncy new wave beat propelled the crowd to uncontrollable urges. The singer guy, Gareth, in his best cockney yelp carrying on ab how he “can’t dance a single step” to girls, Ellen and Aleksandra, softly taunting “ooh ooh oohs,” until (despite themselves) they (or was that the audience?) were jumping up and down, shouting, soccer chant stylee, “You! Me! Dancing!” It was sublime. Like I said, a rock and roll moment. Don’t know what better to call it. And in six minutes worth the price of admission.