Steam Powered Giraffe

January 5, 2013 1:34 PM

ATTUNE YOUR EARS TO THE GRINDING GEARS.

A band of robot mimes with an extensive steampunk comic backstory is perhaps, to put it gently, an acquired taste, but to those of us inclined to enjoy such a thing, Steam Powered Giraffe never fails to cheer.

Further:

Automatonic Electronic Harmonics

The Suspender Man (live)

Honeybee

Robot, 8:00 am

posted by Countess Elena (9 comments total)

Say what you will, they were truthful about the bouncing pug head.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:10 PM on January 5

Correction: pugglepunk.
posted by Nomyte at 4:30 PM on January 5

After PSY, these bot-guys were my next biggest musical guilty pleasure in 2012. (But I was afraid to post about them here; bravo, Countess Elena).

I'm glad to see their recent personnel change has worked out well (original bot "The Jon" left to be replaced by "Hatchworth" bringing some handlebar mustache to this period group).

There are a bunch of live performance clips of the Giraffe on YouTube, going back to their slightly-more-than-street-busker days, including this one, with a fem-bot associate, contribution box and exotic mechanical keyboard thing, working on their patter and performing "the only song from the 1980s". (Would you say that you've been Steam Rolled?)
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:04 PM on January 5 [1 favorite]

I was expecting industrial music.
posted by dunkadunc at 6:51 PM on January 5

I love mimes. I loved this. Thanks for posting!
posted by FirstMateKate at 7:28 PM on January 5

They're like a 19th Century version of Manplanet! I miss Manplanet.

(Very impressed by the body-motion work; it took me way too long to realize it wasn't just unusually good CGI.)
posted by Lazlo Nibble at 7:29 PM on January 5

I also discovered these guys last year and I totally fell in love. I was on a kick for at least a month or two and they've become a permanent fixture on my mp3 player. I enjoy some showmanship in my music from time to time, but they are also incredibly talented. The Spine (the tall silvery one) has a range you don't hear often, it is fantastic. One of my favorite videos of theirs, not linked above, is Captain Albert Alexander.

I hadn't heard about The Jon leaving, but I'm not too terribly surprised. He didn't really jive with the other two (who also happen to be brothers, IARC).

Thank you for posting!
posted by Et3rnalCynic at 10:01 PM on January 5

Thank you. I liked it. A very good performance. Catchy tune. Rabbit blows me away completely. He's damn good.
posted by Goofyy at 7:57 AM on January 6

FANtastic! And I've waited years to see an all-silver someone -not- moving in slo-mo.
posted by Twang at 11:51 AM on January 6