last night's gig

Junior Senior: More Entertaining Than a Dancing Fat Person

Senior (left) and Junior (right) at a gig in 2003Photo: Andy Teacher/Retna

In the pantheon of tough acts to follow, a 400-pound man bouncing around in a thong to a song called “Thong Party,” while an electroclash band’s acutely skinny male lead singer clings desperately to his gelatinous shoulders, has to be up there. Last night at Highline Ballroom, Junior Senior made it look easy. Well, as easy as any band full of gawky Danish people playing post-millennial surf-rock soul while trying quite hard can possibly look. (The showstopping plumper was a member of support act Gravy Train!!!!, who were stupid, though fun.)

All of which is to say that Junior Senior totally earned the enthusiastic reception from their adoring crowd, not to mention the right to play their entire set along to a tape. Simply put, it’s really easy to win over an audience when your shtick is hand-clapping, slogan-shouting nostalgic madness. The set leaned heavily on 2003’s D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat since the band’s world-conquering 2005 follow-up wasn’t released in America until, uh, today. Thankfully, commercial unavailability didn’t prevent their piratical fans from shouting along with the new tunes while vigorously shaking their coconuts. —Dave Hughes

Junior Senior: More Entertaining Than a Dancing Fat Person