Guest post by Sarah Matalone
Unlike most bands you’re likely to see at the Jefferson, Beats Antique’s live shows are not really all about the music. Making their rounds at the music festival circuit this past summer, the trio has acquired a reputation for their energetic live performances, performances which are essentially constructed around one crucial element: Zoe Jakes.
Jakes is a “belly dancer” and “dance counterpart to Beats Antique’s sound” (at least, according to the band’s website). So when she and her two back-up bellies seemed to be doing more hanging out back stage than dancing—and when on stage, doing more prop play than technically-complex movement—I was left to wonder: where’s the action?
Beats Antique at Lollapalooza. More below.
Beats Antique is comprised of David Satori, Tommy Cappel, a.k.a. “Sidecar Tommy,” and Zoe Jakes. The group’s music is a conglomeration of middle-eastern rhythms, twangy banjos, morose violin movements, jazzy bass sections. There’s also the oh-so idiosyncratic buzz of the mizamir, and high-pitched cry of the zagareet and electronic alterations, all of which is layered into a global, hyper-modern and danceable mélange. It makes Beats Antique stand out from most electronic music.
Last night’s performance was a mixture of recorded beats and live accompaniment: against a backdrop of heart-shaking bass and electronic clatter, Satori switched off between violin, a cümbüÅŸ (a Turkish instrument that figures between a banjo and an oud) and drums, while Cappel held strong on drums throughout the show’s entirety.
With the opening number, Jakes made a dramatic (and hopeful) entrance in a red mermaid skirt that when attached to her wrists, made her seem like a dramatic, winged creature, her famous pale stomach undulating to the audience’s excitement before disappearing, surprisingly quickly, backstage. A song or two went by before she reappeared for her most awe-inspiring moment on stage, this time with giant white feather fans, a crown of antlers, and a dazzling white costume that was connected nonetheless to her two bellies, who danced attached to her via shining fabric and chains.
Yet for the flashy accoutrement, Jakes seemed to rely too heavily on her objects’ glitter-factor to awe the audience. Besides a few stomach flutters, some Jakes style rigid locking stylizations and a whole lot of spinning in place, the essential dancer didn’t seem to be too concerned with actually dancing. Too bad, considering she has shown her belly dance talents with famous troupes such as Miles Copland’s Bellydance Superstars and Rachel Brice’s Indigo Belly Dance Company. With a surprise lap dance, derriere-revealing body suits, and a lot of standing around, she sure wasn’t like any belly dancer I’ve ever seen.
