When indie dance duo Matt and Kim named its most recent album “Lightning,” it had no idea Mother Nature would take the name so seriously when it took the album on tour.
“When we were in Toronto, as we were playing our song ‘Daylight,’ the venue got hit by lightning,” Matt Johnson, the band’s vocalist and keyboardist said in an email. “The power went out and all the lights went off but the audience continued to sing the song in the dark all the way to the end.”
Matt and Kim is scheduled to bring this electricity to the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion 7 p.m. Wednesday in a show with indie rock band Oberhofer as part of the “Lightning Tour.”
Comprised of Johnson and Kim Schifino on drums, the duo formed in 2005 in its hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y.
“Kim wanted to learn how to play drums, I wanted to learn to play keyboard,” Johnson said. “We played in lofts and basements and warehouses throughout Brooklyn, and I think that helped us figure out our sound.”
The band has released four albums, its most recent being the tour’s namesake, and has performed with My Chemical Romance and Blink-182. In 2013, Matt and Kim is scheduled to tour with Passion Pit.
Johnson said fans should expect for the band’s live shows to feel more like a party than a concert.
“It’s not the type of show one stands around at and stares at their feet,” he said. “We try to bring enough balloons and confetti to make a good mess.”
Sheila Kenny of Right On! PR, which represents Matt and Kim, echoed this sentiment, calling the band’s shows “one big dance party.”
“There is plenty to dance to and shout along (to),” Kenny said.
While Johnson said many of the duo’s songs have become staples for performances, these don’t tend to get old.
“There’s lots of songs we’ve played at every show we’ve ever done, well at least since the song was written,” Johnson said. “Some bands have issues play(ing) the same song for years, but when people love the song and sing and dance along it adds a whole new energy to it every time we play it.”
Dan Hamilton, a fourth-year in music education, is planning on seeing Matt and Kim perform on Wednesday, and it won’t be his first time seeing the band live.
“They are awesome live,” Hamilton said. “They’re the best show I’ve ever seen.”
When it comes to creating the band’s music and sound, Johnson said he finds inspiration in many places.
“(I’m inspired by) musicians, artists, filmmakers, etc. that are making cool s—. If I see other people making cool s— it makes me excited to try to do the same,” Johnson said.
Sometimes, the band’s lyrics seem to resonate with fans so much that they become permanent on the fans’ skin.
“I always find it wild when I see someone with a Matt and Kim lyric tattoo,” Johnson said. “To think that something we wrote will be with them forever is pretty crazy.”
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $18 through Ticketmaster, or for $20 the day of the show at the venue.
