It was kind of a freaky Friday this weekend, with New York and Capitol Hill hipsters braving Pioneer Square, and dumb thuggery happening up on the Hill.
I didn't have high expectations for Misshapes at the Last Supper Club, so at least I can't say I was disappointed. The Misshapes aren't really remarkable or talented DJs, and they apparently take that "no beatmatching" thing very seriously. If their night in New York has managed to become a scene, it's thanks to the trendy kids who come decked out and ready to pose for their party photographers.
Without that crowd to give them context, they're just three kids with big hair looking bored behind some CD players. And the crowd at the Last Supper Club was, to put it mildly, not quite "Blue States Lose" material—unless shiny shirts and fake tans are part of some deeply ironic new trend. I didn't really sense much in the way of irony, though—when the 'Shapes played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" it seemed totally genuine, as did the crowd's enthusiasm.
Another strike against the night was the not-so-subtle corporate branding on behalf of the night's sponsor, a major tobacco company. There was a looped video projected throughout the club of some pink-haired anime girl riding a motorcycle past neon logos, followed by a surgeon general's warning. There was a beauty bar set up in the side room, where I imagine they were administering spray-on tans. And there were go-go girls with said corporation's logo temporarily (one hopes) tattooed on the smalls of their scantily clad backs.
Corporate branding of hipster culture is nothing new, but this campaign seemed even more absurd and crude than usual. The company hopes to associate itself with the underground coolness of the Misshapes, but the Misshapes brand is only as cool as the party it's stamped on. Flying them out to Pioneer Square doesn't make a hip New York happening, any more than branding a go-go dancer makes her audience loyal smokers.
Part of the Misshapes cult is their celebrity guest DJs, and tonight it was Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack of Bloc Party. They and the Misshapes played varied selections, ranging from M.I.A. and Uffie to Guns N' Roses and Nirvana, but only the Bloc Partiers did any mixing behind the decks. The guys from a visiting rock band played a better set than the night's official DJs; odd, but that's how it went.
Despite the location and the logos, the night was actually fun. Of course any time you mix booze with good music, there's always some kind of good time to be had, no matter how dire the circumstances.
The conventional wisdom is that Pioneer Square is the dangerous, touristy theme park of Seattle nightlife, while Capitol Hill is the safe, progressive club community—but maybe that dichotomy is outdated. The aforementioned violence happened around closing time outside Capitol Hill's (now ex-gay?) nightclub Sugar, when multiple gunshots were fired and one man was slightly wounded. New condos and new nightclubs are certainly changing the feel of the neighborhood. Maybe it's only a sad matter of time before a Friday night on Pike and Broadway looks just like it does at First and Yesler.
