Toro Y Moi vivifies at Mohawk

Young, dancey music lovers from all over Austin crammed into the sold-out Mohawk Saturday, Oct. 8 for Toro Y Moi's chillwave, electronic pop performance. Garage-rock band Bass Drum of Death opened the show, and second act Unknown Mortal Orchestra canceled due to car troubles in Dallas.

Concertgoer Michael Stein said he enjoyed Bass Drum of Death's music more than headliner Toro Y Moi's.

"I can easily say I just liked their style better ... they are better," Stein said.

The duo-turned-trio from Oxford, Mississippi sounded like grungy beach rock you can bounce around to, and it was hard to look away from lead singer and guitarist John Barrett's long locks as he threw a head bang here and there. Barrett's payphone, mellow- punk vocals are dynamic and fun.

Barrett said many of their songs are about growing up in a small town trying to party, getting drunk and meeting girls – a typical garage band mantra. Bass Drum of Death has been playing together for three years, Barrett said, and will be opening for Toro Y Moi for the rest of the tour.

Mohawk was packed with a lot of younger fans, easily spotted by the giant X's marked on their hands, but overall the crowd was pretty mixed. The venue reached capacity fairly early, and admirers lined up outside the entrance for a chance to get in and catch a glimpse of the show if anyone should leave.

After an extra long set break, Toro Y Moi hit the stage and a ripple of dance moved through the audience starting from the pit. People grooved to lead singer Chaz Bundick's soft 70s-pop vocals and soothing synth beats.

Attendee Alicia Cardenas said Toro Y Moi sounds like "John Legend meets Earth Wind and Fire," and her description is pretty spot-on. You can this influence in most of Bundick's music – especially his popular track "Talamak."

"They were very cool ... we were very entertained," Cardenas said. "We were dancing... it was fantastic!"

There was a post-show after-party at the inside stage of Mohawk with performances by local Austin synth-pop group S U R V I V E, dream-synth- pop band Kindest Lines and DJ Seth Nemec of Bananalogue and Switched On.