NOMO got a tough break when they played at Jake's Nightclub Tuesday night. Besides it being a Tuesday, and Bloomington in summer, fierce thunderstorms throughout the day had scared everyone into staying at home. The result? An audience of about 30 intrepid souls, including opening act Jip Jop, the Jake's staff and myself. But, for those of us who risked incurring Mother Nature's wrath, it proved to be quite a show.
Bloomington locals Jip Jop started things off with a combination of jazz, funk, hip-hop and soul. It was reminiscent (to my ears) of late-90s ska/funk/rock crossover acts like Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth and Third Eye Blind; an association made keener by their novelty song "Pluto's Still A Planet To Me."
Despite Jip Jop's efforts, things were still looking pretty glum by the time NOMO took to the stage. However, their vibrant mix of Afrobeat, Krautrock, funk, jazz and other assorted things with loads of beats, brass, and sax proved to be infectious. Before long, the Jip Jop guys and friends had started an impromptu dance party in the audience that churned throughout a show ranging from tracks off NOMO's latest album Invisible Cities to covers of Kraftwerk and Sun Ra. Things reached their ultimate climax as the band ventured out into the audience for a drum circle/sing-along (pictured below).
Who says you can't party on a Tuesday night?
Jip Jop
NOMO
