Indie-Rock Supergroup Performs Improv Set at Pitchfork Due To Cut Copy Tardiness

Download: Atlas Sound - "Another Bedroom"
Download: Jay Reatard - "Always Wanting More" (via Spinner)
Download: King Khan - "Welfare Bread"

One of the most inexplicable, unusual, and totally fucking awesome bits of indie-rock history occurred at the closing of the Pitchfork Music Festival 2008, right after headliner Spoon began their set of blue-eyed indie-soul at the Aluminium, one of two main platforms, stage at 9:00. Cut Copy, the second-to-last band of the festival, were set to take the Balance stage at 8:25. Only the band hadn't shown up yet, and wouldn't go on until well after Spoon did. So, what are Deerhunter/Atlas Sound headman Bradford Cox, his band mate in Atlas Sound, King Khan, and Jay Reatard to do? Play an entirely improvised set of covers, of course.

The indie-rock supergroup played a peculiar, hilarious list of garage and punk covers, including a classic Bad Brains tune, video of which you can watch at the top of the post. As per usual, Jay Reatard was quite manic, enthusiastically knocking into mic stands and jumping around stage with an impossible amount of energy. Cox and Khan, however, took a dryer router, with the former lecturing the crowd in tongue-in-cheek fashion about safety, and the latter frequently stating that the newly formed "band" was just trying to give the audience members what they deserved, entertainment-wise. Khan, however, also took the madman route at times, spitting water into the audience, Sid Vicious-style, and joyously knocking into equipment as well The set was met with good-natured laughs, and cameras snapping, though also with heckles (Cox got a water bottle thrown at him, if I'm not mistaken) and chants for Cut Copy. All in all, the group was on stage for about 20 minutes or so, before Cut Copy finally showed up. Still, because of its absurdity and randomness, this was easily one of the festival's highlights.

More P4K coverage (including Flavor Flav responding to hecklers in the crowd) this week.

(Jonathan Graef)