October 6, 2008 20:38

Gogol Bordello cause dance frenzy at LA's Detour Festival

Mars Volta play a marathon set

Gogol Bordello, Hercules And Love Affair and Cut Copy were among the highlights of this weekend's Detour Festival in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

Sprinkles of rain did not dampen the spirits of Saturday's (October 4) festival-goers, who donned their dancing shoes as soon as the sun went down.

Gogol Bordello worked the crowd into a frenzy, causing them to link arms and dance in a circle. "Fuck fame, we don't give a fuuuuuccckkk!" frontman Eugene Hutz shouted during 'Baro Faro', which got the entire audience jumping up and down.

Throughout their two-hour set, Hutz ran around the stage shirtless, breaking guitar strings and holding out his microphone for the crowd to join in. MC Pedro Erazo donned a Mexican wrestling mask during '60 Revolutions' and delivered furiously-paced Spanish raps.

They closed out their set with Erazo and drummer-dancer Pamela Racine stage diving into the crowd and then reclaiming their spots on stage to conclude with a raucous drumming finale.

Earlier in the day, Hercules And Love Affair delivered a strong performance that also got the crowd moving. "Come on put your hands together," they encouraged before launching into 'You Belong'. "This is a block party, did you come here to party? Let's do this!" they said. They closed out their set with a sexy disco cover of Blue Oyster Cult's 'Don’t Fear The Reaper'.

Fellow Australians and tourmates Cut Copy and The Presets also inspired dance-offs with their tremendous energy. "Let's get our dance on people, it's time, here we go," said Cut Copy's Dan Whitford, and the audience complied, grooving to tunes including 'Out There On The Ice', 'Lights And Music' and 'Future'.

The Mars Volta closed out the night with an epic two-and-a-half hour set that featured several discordant guitar solos and a shout out to Peanut Butter Wolf, "one of LA's finest", who deejayed earlier in the day. Cedric Bixler Lavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez held some audience members transfixed while mystifying others with their screeching, unmelodic rock.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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