The Mae Shi added to the bill

Everybody wanted a piece of The Mae Shi at SXSW in March. They played an incredible 16 gigs during the course of four days, and managed to stop by all the hip parties and a wide assortment of seedy Austin joints. We had listened quite a bit to their new album, ‘HLLLYH’ (2008, on Moshi Moshi), in advance, but were awestruck by their amazingly energetic live show. The Mae Shi really get the crowd going and actually remind us a bit of Les Savy Fav, who played a legendary gig at Øya in 2006. Their album has received rave reviews in the UK, with a 9/10 in NME and an 8/10 at Drowned in Sound. Soon, the Norwegian press is also likely to discover this awesome, original, and unafraid band.

The hellraisers in The Mae Shi come from the outskirts of Los Angeles and played their first gigs about five years ago. They describe their own music as ” busted electronics, spazzier-than-fuck drums, crazy-ass boogie guitar, distorted caveman bass, and throat-destroying vocals.” All their material has a pop foundation, even though that might not always apparent. As they put it themselves: “I think our records are basically pop records . . . we’re not hard to get or anything — I mean, you can bob your head to us, right?” Don’t be surprised if you stumble upon elements of hip hop, funk, and punk in The Mae Shi’s wicked stir of genres – but whatever these five gentlemen might dish up, you can be sure it’ll be unpretentious and catchy. They’ve supposedly seen the inside of more garages and basements than any of us will see during a whole lifetime. Now they’re coming the Medieval Park to raise a ruckus.

Listen to The Mae Shi here!