Brain Freeze

Synth-pop group Freezepop's shows are so happy, they hurt

A A A Comments By John Hood Thursday, Feb 19 2009

Boston synth-pop band Freezepop takes the stage Friday at the Vagabond and Saturday at Respectable Street. New Times asked members Liz Enthusiasm and Sean T. Drinkwater about videogames, TV shows, and who'd be on their dream tour – and what we should expect at their show.

Details

Freezepop, Friday, February 20,10 p.m., at the Vagabond, 30 NE 11th St., Miami. Free before midnight, then $5 until 4 a.m. Age 21 and up. Call 305-379-0508, or visit thevagabondmiami.com. Also 8 p.m. Saturday, February 21, at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $14. Visit respectablestreet.com, or call 561-832-9999.

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New Times: The other member of your band, the Duke of Pannekoeken, is a producer at the videogame company Harmonix. Do you guys actually play any of the many games you've got music in?

Liz: I've played them a little, but I am really bad at them!

Sean: We [the non-Duke members] are pretty bad at videogames in general. We have a PlayStation 2, because a fan sent Liz one for her birthday a few years ago. I generally like Lego Star Wars. Not much for the music games, generally speaking...

When can we expect Freezepop themselves to make it into a videogame?

Liz: Oh, that'd be cool! We should start pestering Harmonix about that...

Sean: We do appear onscreen in Frequency and Amplitude [the first rhythm games from Harmonix]. In Frequency, we are animated, but Amplitude used still photographs of us. Kind of cool!

OK, you've also had more than a few tunes used on TV shows, including the Hills and the L Word – do you guys actually watch television?

Liz: We watch some TV, although not generally the shows that we've been in.

If you could pick one act from the 1980s to do a world tour with, which would it be?

Liz: Duran Duran. I still have a huge crush on Simon Le Bon.

Sean: Depeche Mode.

Same question; this time please pick a band from the 1990s.

Liz: Takako Minekawa. The 1990s were really bad times for happy synth music, and hearing "Fantastic Cat" was like the first ray of sunshine after a long, dark winter.

What about an act from the '00s?

Liz: Junior Senior would have been pretty fun. They put on one of the most fun live shows I've ever seen.

Sean: Ladytron? Goldfrapp? Roisin Murphy?

What can the Vagabond and Respectables crowds expect this weekend?

Liz: They should come prepared to dance. We like it when people dance.

Sean: Lots of keytars and unexpected metal guitar noodling!

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