Naboo DJ set (The Mighty Boosh)
The Zoo
Sunday 16 May 2010
This show was billed as a DJ set by Naboo, the stoned shaman character from British television series The Mighty Boosh. But aside from a custom-made cave (which actually looks pretty awesome) and an assortment of fernery that surrounds the decks, there are otherwise no reminders, symbols, or signposts as to the DJ's identity. Mike Fielding is the name of the man who plays Naboo, and here he is. In the flesh. Cool. Well, now what? That's the vibe I feel throughout the room, once it becomes clear that no, he won't be wearing a Naboo costume; he's just dressed in a flannel shirt. No, there won't be any aural tips to the Mighty Boosh canon; not even a set opener along the lines of "Come with us now on a journey through time and space...". No, there'll be none of the music that appeared on the show. Plainly, aside from the fact that we all know Fielding as his on-screen persona, there is zero continuity between what was billed - a DJ set by Naboo from The Mighty Boosh - and what we experience tonight.
Worse, Fielding has no way to address the crowd. There's no microphone on stage, as far as I can tell; if there is, he doesn't use it. I don't get it. People paid good money - $45 a head - for the opportunity to be in the same room as a fictional character from a TV show. I get the feeling that these people would love nothing more than for Fielding to indulge them in Mighty Boosh quotes, trivia...hell, anything. Tonight, we're experiencing a kind of meta-culture: a cultural artefact removed from its original medium, and projected onto a self-aware audience. Yet these feelings of attachment - to the Naboo character, to The Mighty Boosh in general - are not acknowledged. Which makes Fielding's 'performance' a fucking hard pill to swallow.
This major complaint would hold less weight were Fielding a talented DJ. He's not. His set is taped together with no sense of mixing or continuity whatsoever. Throughout the hour-plus that Fielding is behind the decks, he plays songs in full, at the same tempo as on record. When a song ends, he switches to the next track without attempting to match their tempos. This is frequently jarring to both ear and audience. Essentially, we're bearing witness to Mike Fielding's party-starting mixtape. On that base level, at least, tonight is a success: the majority here dance their arses off to his selection of tunes. Surprisingly, not too many are dressed in Boosh costumes: instead, club casual attire dominates. Perhaps next Saturday night's sold-out show will be met with more enthusiasm for fans looking to play dress-ups.
Though I'd have thought it ridiculous before tonight, these tunes are somehow made more valuable, more relevant to the audience, because they're being played by a celebrity. 'Standing In The Way Of Control' introduces 'One Way Or Another'; 'Poker Face' precedes 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl', which is followed by 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'. La Roux's vocals in 'In For The Kill' are ear-piercing at high volume; the song generally sounds like forgettable modern trash when following a classic like 'Superfreak'. 'Satisfaction' sees Fielding dancing for the first time - holy shit! Before this point - whether due to nerves or otherwise, I'm not sure - he'd barely even laid eyes on the crowd.
Encouraged, they begin throwing plush toys toward him, which he awkwardly accepts before setting them aside his decks. Afterwards, he fades out the chorus in 'I Love Rock And Roll' for some sorely-needed crowd participation, which is happily obliged. 'Gay Bar' rubs up against 'Shoot The Runner', during which Fielding accidentally separates an input lead from the decks. Hilariously, an enormous wash of white noise slowly envelopes the confused audience, while the sound technician mouths 'what the fuck?' toward the stage, before running up and fixing it for an equally confused Fielding. In the parlance of
Hipster Runoff, this is the only 'bloggable', 'tweetable' or 'relevant' moment tonight: a famous guy being paid to DJ not knowing how to check his own audio inputs. Embarrassment aside, 'Blister In The Sun' meets 'Where's Your Head At?' meets 'Johnny B. Goode', before the set ends on The Prodigy's 'Outer Space'. By now it's past 11pm, and many have already left. Afterwards, Fielding humours the dedicated thong at front of stage with a greeting/signing session. I wonder if he signs his autographs as 'Naboo'.
Andrew McMillen
(Pics: Justin Edwards)