I mean, how do you even describe Deerhoof? Batshit bonkers, cosmic space explorers zoomin’ in 27 different directions?  Technicolour noisemongers? What words do you use to describe singer and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki, tweeting and chirping out songs between high-kicking calisthenics at the back of the stage? “Come! Come! Come see the Duck!” she instructs us, adorably, in 2/4 time. OKAY I WILL COME SEE THE DUCK!

How do you write about John Deitrich mouthing the notes up and down his fretboard singing along his own guitar sounds? It’s fascinating. Same goes for Ed Rodriguez crunching out chords, pulling poses and pushing pedals?  What about Greg Saunier, doing this mesmeric two-armed octopus drum thing at the front of the stage? What do you call it? I mean, you can call it experimental or avant garde because Wikipedia does, but I call it JOY.

Because here’s the thing: the world needs more Deerhoof. Because there’s simply too many rubbish live acts out there who’ll make you sad.

But go see Deerhoof, and they’ll run the gamut (like, all of the gamut, plus 35%) of their 20-year history and they will make you glad, not sad. The band that all indie bands adore will throw in a cover of “Pour Some Sugar On Me” to make you giggle, and go bananas with a wood block on “Nurse Me” to make you grin, or make you sing along to the gleeful groove of “Believe E.S.P” (and you will sing about Wookies, instead “Paranoia boogie oogie come to ooze” which is fine, because nobody ever knows what the fuck Satomi is singing and that’s cool.)

And you’ll listen to every clunky, weird, clanging noise they make and you’ll see just how much love Deerhoof have for the sounds they’re making while they’re up there making it. You see smiles and delight and a pure passion for music and the skills to play it live. And you’ll stand there, kinda gobsmacked and you’ll and think, oh man, the world seriously, seriously needs more Deerhoof. \m/

Cosmonauts: please click on each photo to embiggen and scroll through!