Photos By: Gabe Gussin
By: Connor Cox
The last time I saw Starfucker (aka STRFKR) was in 2012 at the Observatory Santa Ana. After that I caught a few songs of their set at FYF in 2013. Both times they sounded incredible and were a much lesser-known band. Last Friday the Portland, Oregon electronic four-piece performed at the Observatory North Park, nearly selling out the venue to a crowd of hardcore fans. Fake Drugs started off the night. Continuing with chillwave DJ, Com Truise amping up the audience with a smooth DJ set.
STRFKR
Around 10 PM Starfucker exploded into “Boy Toy” – a much rowdier vibe than Com Truise – followed by several songs like “Malmo“ and “Beach Monster” from their 2013 release Miracle Mile.They powered through a set of best material ranging from all of their work. Between songs played the spoken word tracks from Reptilians, where an English professor states philosophical lines that are both inquisitive and ironic to the entire demeanor of the band. Fans were also lucky enough to hear one of the first live performances of their new song “Never Ever“, which had leaked several days prior.
Towards the end of the set, they played their usual cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and threw sex dolls into the audience. They also surprised fans with short-versed covers of The Human League’s “Do you Want Me” and New Order’s “Blue Monday”.
My main criticism of Starfucker’s performance isn’t their sound or song selection, but the arrangement of songs on their setlist. For instance, they played “Astoria” fourth in the set, which to me sounds like a track better suited for the end. But maybe I’m just being too picky….
