The round of apologetic phone calls was kept to a minimum, but that doesn’t mean the night wasn’t a success. Saturday gave me two of the best discoveries this week. Mika Miko are five young ladies from L.A. who encapsulate everything good about rock & roll. One red telephone used as a microphone was passed around like it was a slumber party, as guitar and saxophone birthed trashy, synthy little nightmares. They were on the cover of Maximum RockNRoll recently, and I would not fuck with any of them.
Then there was Dandi Wind, a Montreal singer who is sort of a younger and slightly more unhinged Peaches. On Beauty Bar’s stage, she looked like a psychedelic Olivia Newton John, bouncing all over in what looks like an ostrich coat. The energy she and her band radiated, along with the unicorn piñatas and fake eggs filled with confetti that were thrown into the crowd, added a fragrant air of manic art-school dropout to the whole Festival. She also seems like she might cut you.
This article appears in March 16 • 2007.