Handsome Furs Rock Shanghai

Handsome Furs Show Recap

Jam-packed between uncountable sweaty bodies all jumping and moshing in unison, I was both terrified that my feet would get trodden into shreds and elated with the energy in and around the room, charged by the electrifying performance of the Handsome Furs. The moment the show opened with the strumming of ‘All We Want, Baby is Everything’, the crowd went wild.

The air was thick with the smell of beer, cigarettes and B.O. Through this dense smog, the amazing genius of Dan Boeckner’s guitar and drum-machining onslaught by wife Alexei Perry, permeated the crowd in sonic waves of awe. Tearing through songs from their last album, Face Control, and some new singles like ‘Free the People’ (great song!), they rocked the living bejeezus out of Yuyintang.

Not a single body wasn’t bobbing a head or shaking it as the band pounded through their songs with raw electro-rock energy. Reaffirming their status as the cutest rock couple, the two smooched three times throughout the show, once exchanging an “I like him” from Alexei for an “I like her” from Dan. So cute.

They took breaks between songs not only to kiss, but also to share a few funny stories, one concerning a pet locust, and another Pearl Tower adventure that turned into an unexpected, WTF moment – the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel tour – described by Dan as “the inside of a five-year old’s brain on acid”.