Super Geek League w/ MarchFourth, Jonny Sonic, Filthy Femcorps
El Corazon, Seattle, WA
04.22.16

People in the crowd are so dressed up it becomes difficult to tell who is part of the show and who’s just observing. But in the end, no one is here to observe. Seattle’s Super Geek League is not a show you stand and watch. This is when you grab a pillow and join the fight.

El Corazon is busy, but not overly packed when the newly-formed all-female Seattle honk band Filthy FemCorps took to the floor. Their brash, carnival-like feel and inclusive nature got the room into high spirits early as they played pop covers like Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off,” Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock n Roll,” and Ludacris’ “Rollout.”

Then the carnival began. From the giant-headed, masked DJ to the rotating cast of dancers and characters, the circus came to town for an extended floor show. The SGL is known for their one-of-a-kind performance art and visually-charged performances, and they didn’t fail to bring it to life for this show. The misfit lineup of floor acts included creepily masked monsters, light-up baton twirling, and aerialists. Gymnasts and strong men balanced on chairs and each other, contortionists got weird, someone was a human jump rope. The lineup went from creepy to beautiful, at some points impressive, at others just weird, the costumes throughout landing somewhere between elaborate and crassly homemade.

After this rotating cast of performers, Seattle funk band Jonny Sonic took the stage for a menagerie of heavy beats and frantic rhymes, the nine-piece band swelling to twelve with added players from other bands on the night’s lineup. JS is somewhere between NOLA marching band and rudimentary hip hop, driving a force through the ears with prominent horns and deep drum and bass. It’s not your average anything, as eclectic sounds cut a rough knife through predictability.

Following one big band with another, Portland’s Marchfourth! marching band take over. Their drum line takes part of the floor while their horns and guitars line up on stage and stilt-walkers roam the crowd. Thirteen-people strong tonight, their genre-bending, booty-shaking show is a high energy party. A few band members trade off instruments throughout the show, and they let various people take solo runs that shine. Overall, their punk-funk, big band mélange is skillful and fun, and has the now-packed room dancing non-stop.

And then it’s time for SGL.  Clad in red work shirts and shorts – a bit like SGL-branded prison uniforms – the band members slowly filter onto the stage to a backdrop of atmospheric noise. Vocalist Vy Agra, in her metallic silver and blue bodysuit, let her infectious smile win over the crowd before the band throwing out their heavy-handed soul metal, demolishing any thoughts of niceties.

But this is in no way a band. This is a crashing, commanding performance, one that involves a mosh pit, aliens with air guns, a priest slapping people with a dead fish, and an absurd amount of confetti. There’s a guy manning the clown-faced confetti canon throughout the show, and it’s clear early on that the rainbow rain isn’t going to let up. The bands art-noise-rock is vicious, it’s hard, it’s loud. The various circus performers from earlier in the night are in the crowd, lifting and spinning and dancing overhead, interacting and encouraging cacophony.

There’s a demon crowd-surfing on an actual surfboard, and then they’re handing out pillows, with scrawled-on text like “strange creature” and “show me your tits.” Everyone is on the ground, cuddling their pillows, before a giant pillow fight breaks out, the stuffing flying through the dank room. There are furries, giant one-eyed monsters, pandas, and unicorns. There is endless sexual innuendo, and more off-the-wall absurdity than any one experience should be allowed. But it’s an experience, it’s an electrically-charged, weirdo fest that sells itself on sadistic clowns and willing participation. If you’re up for it, bring earplugs, dress up, and be prepared to find confetti the next day in places it doesn’t belong.

Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini

Super Geek League, Jonny Sonic, and  MarchFourth