Anyone familiar with indie dance group Matt and Kim will probably know the basic facts about them. Kim Schifino and Matt Johnson of Brooklyn, N.Y., have been creating music together for over ten years, and just released their fifth album, “New Glow,” on April 7.
With the Columbus show Thursday night being early on their North American tour, there were certainly high expectations to be met. Not being a die-hard Matt and Kim fan, and never having seen them in concert before, I didn’t know what to expect or why the atmosphere was buzzing from the moment I walked in the door at Lifestyle Communities Pavilion.
At first, I was uneasy about the opening band, Waters, since their outfits gave the impression that each of its five members had traveled from a different era. However, their eclectic mix of alternative pop blended with dance and techno music was unique and impressive. The crowd seemed to enjoy their cover of Taylor Swift’s hit single “Blank Space.” It was quite refreshing to see a young band with wide-eyed innocence and true passion for what they were playing.
Matt introduced Kim to the crowd as someone who once said “exclamation points are the new periods!” This didn’t even begin to describe her contagious energy. She smiled the entire show, and often jumped on top of her drum set to dance.
Matt equaled her talent and charisma in every way, with incredible vocal range and stamina. The audience was never bored, since there were often popular rap songs or covers of current pop favorites between their original songs. I couldn’t believe that only two people were creating such an energetic and almost club-like atmosphere.
The duo used various tactics to get the crowd more involved, including blowing up balloons and raising a 40-foot parachute over the pit. The audience didn’t have a moment’s reprieve from the excitement, nor did it seem to want it.
Audience member Qynn Cook, a first-year in art and technology said, “I think they are the most energetic performers. It’s my second time seeing them and they always deliver an incredible performance.”
The only point at which the show had a brief pause was when Kim reminded audience members to look into adopting pets, since all the profits from their raffle in order to meet the duo afterwards went towards local shelter Pets without Parents.
For having only released “New Glow” just over a week ago, I was impressed at how many people knew the lyrics. Without a doubt, the crowd favorite was the encore performance of “It’s Alright,” which has been popular since its release in 2012.
To sum up, I went in being a second-rate fan and left with a T-shirt.
