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MUTEMATH drummer Darren King crowd-surfed his kick drum into the crowd, stood on top of it, and grabbed onto the overhead lighting rig.

It shook.

(No doubt the venue staff were freaking out.)

Just one of many things that make MUTEMATH special – they’re perfectly willing to take down a stage (or two) in pursuit of an amazing live music spectacle. Based solely on the strength of their chaotic, unpredictable live show, the band garnered heavy buzz before they ever had a full-length record in stores. Admittedly, if you’ve already seen the group live, some of the antics are not quite so jaw-dropping the second go round…

(A mind can only be blown once.)

…but there’s much more to MUTEMATH than meets the eye. While the frenetic, keyboard-surfing live show is the draw, the New Orleans-based quartet back up the gimmick with top-notch musicianship and passionate performance. This time out, they also came bearing new songs from Armistice, their long-awaited sophomore LP. Far from sounding out of place alongside older material, the fresh material shone in concert. A MUTEMATH show is not merely the group ‘performing the record;’ the outro/breakdown of the title track and the extended jam of “Burden” are each unique live experiences. The stylistic differences between MUTEMATH and Armistice exist only on the recordings – live, it’s all so much dynamic sonic clay for the hands of Mssrs. Meany, Hill, King and Mitchell-Cardenas to shape into one cohesive audial sculpture.

The first few songs were ’subdued’ (by MM standards), drawing the crowd in slowly. By the time “Plan B” hit, fans and band connected on another level.

(It is as if they go from ordinary construction vehicles to the mighty robot DEVASTATOR!)

Meany had the audience sing parts of “Noticed,” while any opportunity to clap or sing along was eagerly grabbed by the vocal, energetic sold out throng.

(The crowd pop for “Typical” was MONSTROUS.)

MUTEMATH’s eclectic and tight performance benefited tremendously by a near-perfect Showbox sound mix. Every guitar and keyboard note was crystal clear, while the low end rumbled up through the chest without overpowering the set. Bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas effortlessly switched between bass guitar, upright bass, keys, and additional percussion — often within the same song. Most notable was his fretwork on the drifting “Stare At The Sun/Obsolete” and the picked funk on “Armistice.” Head tilted at a gloriously awkward angle, Paul Meany felt every single word, his voice resonating as he played the keyboard and keytar… as the set progressed, so did his level of animation, until in finale “Break The Same” he literally headstanded on the keyboard, before flipping over it and flat-backing on the stage.

(Then he stomped on his keys a few times.)

(It was frikkin’ awesome.)

Unassuming guitarist Greg Hell has the unfortunate role of being the “least” exciting MUTEMATH member, but he plays his parts perfectly, surprising here and there by jumping to the drum set or banging on the xylophone. The swaggering “Backfire” sounded particularly fantastic; Hill beat the crap out of his SG in the fiery “Spotlight.” Finally, of course, is the most ‘over’ member of the group, the aforementioned drummer Darren King: he of the duct-taped-to-his-head earphones, knocking over drums, playing a drum pad connected to a set of incandescent light bulbs.

(And yes, standing on a bass drum supported by the crowd’s hands, reaching up to touch the lighting rig.)

To sum up: to understand MUTEMATH live, you must experience MUTEMATH live.

SETLIST

The Nerve
Backfire
Chaos
Clipping
No Response
Plan B
Stare At The Sun/Obsolete
Electrify
Armistice
Noticed
Odds
Typical
Burden
———
Pins and Needles
Spotlight
Reset
Break The Same

*Seriously, look at that setlist! What a damn setlist! When was the last time you saw a setlist so good? That’s like 18 songs! All killer, no filler!

Ryan Ro [www.RNSrobot.com | www.twitter.com/RNSrobot]