THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND
Terror Pigeon and Ivy Hollivana, Stardust Coffee, Mar. 5
The never-ending locomotive of affirmation that is Terror Pigeon just rolled through town again. The last time I took their carnival ride was probably when they first emerged last decade. In all these years, it’s nice to see that their brilliance hasn’t dimmed a single watt and that they’re still 100 percent ride-or-die DIY.
Fronted by the irrepressible Neil Fridd, this body-moving, electro-pop juggernaut used to be called Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt for good reason. They were less a band in the strict musical sense than a one-man sun with a crew of merry agitators in his orbit that infiltrate the crowd and get them involved, dancing, and sometimes even dressed up in the band’s homemade costumes and props.
For this return, they’ve morphed into a live duo that includes performance partner and Orlando native Jen Gavin. Though considerably more compact than before, they’re no less infectious. And they now have an impressive new light wall.
The essence of Terror Pigeon’s show remains gloriously unchanged. Decked out in all manner of handmade decorations and props, the scene is still like an art collective that’s spontaneously combusted into a dance party. And Fridd’s command of the audience is still total, which is crucial because it’s what makes the real magic of a Terror Pigeon show happen.
Audience participation isn’t just an occurrence at their shows, it’s a pillar. Besides their unmistakably lively performance, the event is a series of crowd-involving situations, some planned and others on the spot.
Beyond mere engagement, Fridd is able to lead the participating public around the room – and down the rabbit hole – into various scenarios without effort. From getting the audience to erect a camping tent without missing a beat to ushering the party into a parachute like a big top, he orchestrated the room like a seasoned maestro.
In music, delivery and message, Terror Pigeon’s complete lack of guile and inhibition is a kind of ultimate emancipation. Their shows are immersive, consuming experiences that, in the moment, will have you believing with every glowing cell of your body that you’ve finally broken through to the most joyous plane of existence ever. It’s positivity manifested as pure party. Like triumphant resistance to the world that burns around us, Terror Pigeon is a needed bastion of unmitigated hope in the most cynical of times.
Breaking in the night was Daytona producer-singer Ivy Hollivana. Over a notably old-school range of beatscapes that spanned breakbeat and house, she stretched her angelic voice amid dreamy, shimmering sounds with a modern edge that’s both vulnerable and self-empowering.
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Email Bao: baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com
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This article appears in Mar 6-12, 2019.
