Big Bang Music Theory

June 7, 2002--Live Review at Hoghead Mc Dunnas, Chicago. I've seen a ton of
bands in my 20+ years of involvement in the Chicago music scene so please
forgive my jaded outlook. After arriving at the club and watching BBMT do
their thing, however, I realized that even an old dog like me could learn a
thing or two. BBMT is one of the most unique acts playing the Chicago scene
today and are quite compelling to see perform. BBMT performs music that has
elements of modern rock, new wave, punk, and performance art. Some of the tunes
also have heavy, trance-y grooves. What makes them cool and different, however, is
the quirky, unpredictable stage presence of vocalist S'yen U. previous
She has a high, siren-like vocal tone and is nothing like what one would typically think
of as a 'girl singer.' She stands, she sits, she spins, she moves to the music in her own
way in her own time. I didn't get the impression that anything was choreographed;
Her movements seem to be an expression of whatever she feels at the time. It
is difficult to draw any parallels to any other female performers to describe her. The closest comparison I can make is to a male performer. That performer would be David
Byrne, best know as part of the seminal new waveband Talking Heads. S'yen U doesn't
employ the same cool geek persona that Byrne is famous for, but she has the same
enigmatic, mysterious sort of vibe that makes people pay attention. The rest of the
band lays down an interesting carpet of guitar-based sounds, some of which take on
synth-like textures. All in all, BBMT was a band that I like much more than I expected
to. They serve up a show that is a little different than most and, in this age of carbon
copy sound-alike bands, this can only be a good thing. Sometimes the road less
traveled is the proper one to take.
---By Mike O'Cull
- Mike O' Cull