Last week, my friend sent me a link to a song called “Everybody Wants To Be Famous” by a group called Superorganism, captioning it “music video is also sick.” Curious, I clicked and was immediately thrown into a vortex of epilepsy–inducing flashing between random images of a small girl swaying to one of the catchiest songs I had heard in a while. Immediately hooked, I wanted to know more.
By mere chance, I happened to have tickets to go and see them two days later. Having recently interviewed their opener, Helena Deland, I had been gifted tickets to see her perform. My excitement increased ten–fold upon learning about the entire lineup.
Going to a concert for a band you barely know is always an interesting experience: you learn the songs as they play them, and you pick up the vibe without any premonitions. Based on that one video alone and a curiosity about the lead singer being shown as “a hologram” across their videos, I knew that Superorganism was definitely on another plane. The performance was worth the journey.
Superorganism is a big group of artists—Arcade Fire big. With seven musicians—Orono (lead singer); Tucan (drummer); Harry (guitar); Emily (synth); and Ruby, B, and Soul (backing singers)—the small stage is cramped with this eclectic group of performers. On the back end is visual mastermind Robert Strange, responsible for the psychedelic imagery that consumes the artists' every move. Now based in London, the group formed in 2017 after a few of the members, originally from New Zealand, met 18–year–old Orono in Tokyo after a show (though Japanese, she is American–born). Moving to a small flat in London where Harry is originally from, the group started jamming constantly, and the rest is history. They released their debut album Superorganism last month, and have since been on a world tour, spreading fun times and a strange love for prawns.
After coming off the transient space that Helena Deland created, the audience was in a rather relaxed mood. That all changed as a group of neon raincoat–clad musicians pushed through the audience. Orono, a girl barely five feet tall standing there with old–school 3D glasses on, immediately took charge of the room, calling upon the band, to run the show. The stage was immediately transformed into a kaleidoscope of color and strange sounds as the band broke into their opener “It’s All Good.” A wave of excitement took over.
Their sound is completely their own and is unfamiliar to the music of today. It felt like we had been teleported to an arcade somewhere in Tokyo and I didn't want to come back. The flashing of cats, prawns, and colorful triangles at all times brought with it a nostalgia of Nyan Cat and Dance Dance Revolution.
Each song seemed to be handing you a new pill and saying, “Trust us. You will have a good time.” We did; we weren’t sure what we were getting into, but we did. The mood changed from Tokyo love ballads to yearning to be a prawn to criticisms of lusts for fame. Throughout it all, the audience could not help but dance to songs played by a human version of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
At one point, Orono acknowledges proudly, “I think like 20 of my dad’s friends are here so thank you!” It was clear a majority of the crowd had not heard the band before. Hell, I may have been one of the youngest people there, and this band makes music that sounds like the soundtrack of a tween’s iPod. But they ate it up. Though lighthearted, the seven–piece band makes the most full sound possible, constantly layering one another instrumentally and vocally. The room always felt full of warmth; it was clear everyone was just smiling, enjoying the experience Superorganism provided.
When “Something For Your M.I.N.D.” came on, no one could help themselves from joining in on the easily memorizable chorus. Their show is all performance and participation. They wanted to have fun, and they wanted you to have fun. They waved their hands in the air and constantly made jokes reminiscent of an Instagram meme page. This silliness was solidified after reentering the stage for the encore. They admitted, “We just stood there awkwardly for a minute, we didn’t really go anywhere.”
After the show, they stayed around for a while to sign merchandise. I decided to mention the hologram reference to Orono. She quickly responded, “That meme is fucking old, man. Don’t you know how fast memes die?” Her band members quickly apologized for her, with some of them chuckling as they were responsible for making the meme. Their clear youth is something they wear proudly. Choosing to couple it with a friendly '60s persona only adds to their aesthetic and sound.
After chatting for awhile about their music, they still seemed flabbergasted at their newfound fame. Harry even mentioned “We aren’t in charge of our interviews anymore, our publicist arranges everything, we just have to make sure we are on time.” Nevertheless, the group seemed extremely humbled by the conversation, truly eager to chat. It seemed like we could have talked for hours, but I knew they were in a rush so I got a quick photo of the group and went on my way.
As I was leaving, I caught Orono, dancing around her dad. This had solidified my belief that Superorganism is all fun and games. Between their glitter makeup and jumpy music, warm personalities and a can–do attitude, the group is destined for great things and a fun time. Their performance turned me into a super–fan and I’ve been blasting their music any time I want a smile. I’m excited to see where the year takes them, and will definitely be catching them when they come back to Philly next September.
