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Review: DOGSHOW, the Jam Jar – ‘Joyful anarchy’
A sweaty revelation at 2am on Sunday at Shambala festival brought me to DOGSHOW. The audience, fully warmed up by the weekend’s frivolities, had no trouble releasing their inner hounds: it was wild!
I was intrigued to see if these pooches could instigate the same vigour in a room of people who hadn’t spent three days in festival wonderland.
No fear: as soon as they made their dramatic appearance the sold out Jam Jar erupted into unhinged howls of delight. The dogs were off the leash.
A wheel-around trolley formed the centrepiece, surrounded by the crowd, putting the show in the centre of the action.
Disco lights bounced off mirror fragments as the two brothers from Liverpool, now anthropomorphic poodles, rode their compact sophisticated sonic laboratory, the cockpit of a rocket ship ride to freedom.
With just drums and synths, DOGSHOW shook the room with their rich, kinetic sound. From the opening pulse, they had the audience completely in their paws.
A custom-made portable music station and lightshow unit allows the band to put themselves in the centre of the action
The set was a journey through live techno, electro, euphoria and acid squelch – sounds throwing us back to the sweaty dancefloors of 90s rave culture where anything goes.
The interplay between live drums and synths was mesmerizing, the builds and drops executed with pinpoint precision, the synchronicities flawless. Yet despite the technical prowess, it never felt rigid. Not just a live act but a living act.
“It needs to resonate with the dog vibe, so at least be a little bit wild and untamed,” states Sam Dog, one half of the duo, on his choice of synth sounds.
The sold-out Jam Jar went wild for the duo that are profoundly silly but also technically proficient
A ludicrous cabaret combining kinky attire, queer artistry, gymnastics and wolf energy, this is far from a novelty act but rather a honed expression of self.
Hilarious lyrics with many a double entendre combined with synth mayhem couldn’t help but get the crowd bouncing with joy. “I want balls,” yelped the drummer. The brothers’ playful instructions “spin around,” “and the other way” were obeyed with joyful abandon.
Their debut album, Coming Out Canine, has just been released digitally and will be out on vinyl soon. Sam Dog describes the record as “a semi-autobiographical concept album about liberation, an inner expression of your alter ego or your true self.
“In the process of making it we found that we were coming out as canines, we were more and more embodying a dog form as we were writing it. We are seeing people resonate with wanting to be an animal that isn’t bound by normal shit like rules.”
DOSHOW combine theatre, rave and queer artistry to powerful effect
That philosophy was embodied in every beat of the night. The performance wasn’t just about watching, it was about becoming. And the audience became alright: no longer spectators, they were participants in a gleeful experiment in freedom.
The album’s title track Coming out Canine is an electronic tour de force, an interactive journey inspiring us to reach inside and release our inner hound.
The crowd yelped and yapped, a chorus of dogs of all shapes and sizes. Hands linked, bodies swaying in unison, before long a collective howl rose up, a pack of lycanthropes baying at the moon in a moment that felt both absurd and transcendent: “We’re here, we’re one we’re strong,” “Channel the energy…”
Despite the daftness of it all, we couldn’t help but feel a genuine sense of camaraderie and liberation in that moment. We were united as one pack.
The duo have been booked for a Boiler Room set, taking place in February next year
DOGSHOW’s performance operates on multiple levels: as theatre, as rave, as exploration. Their poodle-headed personas act as a conduit for a kind of joyful anarchy, an invitation to be silly, wild, expressive. In a world that often feels weighed down by seriousness they offer something better: permission to play.
Sweaty but delighted, tails wagging, the audience left the Jam Jar having unlocked their true animal selves. Would we ever be the same?
If you want to join the pack you can catch DOGSHOW on the rest of their Coming out Canine album tour. All information at dogshowdisco.com/shows
All images: Jassy Powles
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