“This is really nice,” says an impressed Claire England as she glances over the backstage food spread. Her bandmates gather around the table to inspect the small buffet, cramped together by the limited space of the room. Today’s backstage menu consists mostly of healthy snacks: apples, bananas, a container of strawberries – oh, but apparently there’s a bag of Skittles around here somewhere. Guitarist Luke Smith suggests handing out the food at tonight’s show. “We should definitely pass out those strawberries,” says keyboardist David Price.
Ah, the life of a touring band. So could Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head (England, Smith, Price, plus singer Shaun Libman and drummer Liam Downey) have envisioned this would happen when they first formed back in 2005? Coast-to-coast tours, backstage interviews and a smorgasbord of fresh fruit at every show?
“I didn’t even think we’d get out of the basement,” says Smith. “I was in a band before this, and we never played a show. We just played in the basement all the time, so it’s just like ‘oh, that’s what being a band is like.’”
In fact, it wasn’t until England booked Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head (before she was even in the band) at a youth writing function that the band started to take themselves seriously. With a pending performance date, the band felt the pressure to learn how to play their songs live, as up to this point they had only constructed their songs using home computers. Practice paid off, and the band played their first two sets ever within the same day.
“And once we did those first two shows, it was like, OK, yeah I guess that was really fun,” says Price.
But “really fun” isn’t a very apt description of an NPSH show. Before they even take the stage, the Media Club in downtown Vancouver is abuzz, having just bopped along to Topless Gay Love Tekno Party’s lively set, which included a remarkable rendition of Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up.”
By the time Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head takes the stage, the crowd has lost all control. The band edges their way through the sold-out crowd, past the barrage of head rubs and back slaps, and explode into their set with the vibrant “Slow Motion Tag Team,” seamlessly setting off the dance spark within the basement crowd. The vibe doesn’t slow for a second as they fall into their next song, “Holding Hands in the Shower.” Within minutes the temperature in the small club has doubled. Libman is down to his undershirt, and apparently Smith’s 80s headband was getting too hot to wear. The crowd deals with the heat the only way they know how: more dancing.
“We just wanted to get a reaction from the audience,” says Libman. “It was always about that from the beginning, where we weren’t really doing music but just doing stuff that was going to illicit some sort of reaction. Like doing jokes and things like that was pretty much our first set.”
Before the madness, NPSH are sitting along a booth that lines the backstage wall. They cramp around a small table, yet even the restricted physical dimensions of the room don’t make the band look any bigger or older. Truth be told, it’s hard to imagine these kids are capable of pounding out the relentless dance rock on their 2008 debut, Glistening Pleasure, let alone the show they’re about to attack.
“Yeah our first song of our first show was, like, weird electronic death metal where we were screaming about ‘brush your teeth, go to bed!’” says Smith with a laugh.
Libman explains that one of the best ways to get a reaction out of people is to make them dance. That way, you know exactly what they’re thinking, and you know they’re having a good time.
“I dunno, if you’re Fleet Foxes it’d be hard to tell what the crowd was thinking,” suggests Smith, yet it is quickly followed by “I don’t mean to pick on them! We have a friendly rivalry with them.”
“That they don’t know about,” remarks England.
At nearly halfway into the show the backstage fruit has made its first appearance. Apples and bananas are carelessly tossed into the sea of onlookers, while the container of strawberries are dumped onto a few select people. Suddenly, the air is adrift with fragrant scents of fresh berries, and the band sets into the equally saccharine “Confections.” The song is no longer just a treat for the ears, but for the nose as well. It’s an overwhelming blend of sensory input.
Apparently NPSH are all about healthy eating. It’s around this point that they balk at the idea of eating at McDonald’s, and Libman introduces the next song. “Here’s a nutritious meal,” he offers, and then pauses before adding “but not in a weird way.” Our entree is a lengthened version of “Sophisticated Sideways Ponytail,” which will allegedly be making it onto an extended edition of Glistening Pleasure, soon to hit shelves. The meal is especially appetizing, as the crowd gets to bare witness to only the second time England has mounted a guitar on stage. And yes, her ponytail has shifted itself 90 degrees to the left.
To see NPSH is to believe them. “I think I would hate our band if I just read about it,” says Smith, still backstage. “I mean, just like the name, like, ugh. Who are they trying to be?” This statement results in a chuckle from most of the other band members. It would appear that they’re very aware of the fact that Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, a reference to that period of skull exposure the movie star endured while making V for Vendetta isn’t exactly your average band name, and that it’s to be taken with a few grains of salt. “But when I would listen to it, I would like it,” states Smith assuredly.
So if they’re aware of the fact that some people may ignore a band with such a name, why bother continue with the comedic shtick? “I think just ’cause it’s fun,” suggests Smith. “You don’t have to take it seriously at all. That’s the main reason.” Smith looks down at Libman for assurance, and he agrees.
“There’s a lot of freedom with it too, you know?” adds Libman, before Smith picks the thought back up again. “It’s easy to be pigeonholed if you’re a band, have a certain sound, but if you just have an open mind and be light hearted about it, you can pretty much do anything. Like we could do some operatic, vocal only track if we wanted, just for fun.”
There’s no track that fits a description like that tonight, yet as the band powers through every song on their only LP (unfortunately leaving no opportunity for an encore), their fans get to experience every side of what today’s Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head has to offer. After dishing out a final helping of love and gratitude, the band takes their leave, and the overheated crowd steps into the night, for once thankful of the Vancouver summer rain.
a recent back stage dance party/homage to belts
Who knows where the band can take it from here. Whether it’s a serious and mature concept album, or a revert to chants such as “brush your teeth, go to bed,” it seems hard to believe that anything will surprise fans at this point.
“We’ll try and surprise them,” says Libman.
“We were thinking about making our own version of ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot;’ very minimalist,” suggests a deadpan England.
Smith’s suggestion sounds a little more in their ballpark. “I just want to try a bunch of crazy stuff, and then put in perfect pop gems just to offset it.” The rest of the band nods their head in agreement.
Mm, sounds delicious.
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