SARGENT HOUSE

Tonight, Brooklyn-based weirdos Fang Island are playing the Great American Music Hall with Zechs Marquise  show starts at 8 p.m., tickets are $15. We strongly suggest you go watch these guys — here are five reasons why.

1. Fang Island is Responsible for the Greatest Patrick Swayze Tribute in History

From the “Time of my Life” whistle and the dead president masks to the Dirty Dancing T-shirts and Vaya Con Dios flag, this single-shot, super-surrealist accompaniment to “Daisy” was one of the most memorable videos of 2009. It’s proof that sometimes, having no budget can produce magnificent results — even if they are totally absurd.  

2. Fang Island Doesn’t Sound Like Anyone Else
Fang Island sounds like a joyous, intoxicated choir letting its collective voice soar up to the heavens. A choir that contains a few acid casualties. A choir that is backed by an organist who’s forgotten the song — but is awesome at improvising. Fang Island’s music bubbles and shimmers and rushes along like a really beautiful fish in a particularly fast current. Fang Island is unpredictable and weird and unique and brilliant. Let’s give ‘em some props for that.

3. Fang Island Doesn’t Care if it Makes Sense or Not

That’s right, kids. Do you want a video that makes sense? A video that has some sort of beginning, middle, and end? A video with a clear, universal message? Well, good luck with that — that’s not what Fang Island is going to give you. Witness “Life Coach,” in which there are dudes dressed like a dog and a gorilla and a mouse, a guy with a castle stuck on his head, an angel, a man made of flowers, some sort of mutant thing, and a samurai Elvis who is mercilessly slaughtering everyone. We have no idea what the fuck is going on here. And that’s exactly why we love it.

4. Fang Island Has a Paper Mache Guy
If you watch the Fang Island music videos we just posted, you’ll notice a recurring character — a man with a huge, orange paper mache head, wearing a long grey hooded cloak thing. Who is he? What does he represent? Did they make the head themselves? Do they make anything else out of paper mache? And why can’t we find anything online about this guy? We love a bit of mystery, we do. So we’re hoping desperately that paper mache head guy makes an appearance tonight. 

5. Fang Island Looks Like This

The band you see above has somehow cultivated one of the hippest fan bases in the entire country, while quite clearly being massive nerds. And we’re pretty sure the nerdiness has not been contrived for irony-related reasons. Do you know how hard it is to do that? If there was a geek hierarchy, these dudes would be the overlords and Bill Gates would do their taxes. Just go see ‘em already.  

AND DON’T MISS FANG ISLAND ON TOUR ALL OF AUGUST SEE ALL SHOWS