The 23-year old Scotsman Calvin Harris played his flamboyant New York debut to a sold out crowd at the Mercury Lounge. Appropriately, he opened the show with “Colours”, a song he introduced with a rather funny bit about how the ladies should wear more of them. In the audience were plenty of devoted fans, some having traveled from afar to New York to be a part of the merrymaking. (One girl drove from Boston and another even drove 10 hours from Maine!)

The atmosphere was more house-party than concert, complete with groovy sets by DJ Robot Blair beforehand and between acts. Calvin’s set was like a step back in time, courtesy of his clever tunes that could be best described as a melding of 70′s and 80′s funk and disco, all updated for the 21st century, with lyrics that were at times quite humorous. The guys from Parliament would be proud. The set included the popular hits “Merrymaking At My Place”, “Acceptable in the 80′s” and “The Girls”, as well as “Neon Rocks”, and “This Is The Industry”.

The space at the Mercury Lounge never seemed so intimate. Imagine a crowded subway car being suddenly turned into a disco, with everyone deciding to break into an impromptu crazy dance routine. The floor actually shook with the enthusiastic crowd, all in constant movement throughout the entire eight-song set (made up of hits on his recently released debut album I Created Disco). The incredibly tall (6’5) Mr. Harris joined in, bouncing across the stage non-stop.

The show went quite well, in spite of it being what Calvin jokingly referred to as “a makeshift band, because one of our band members is on holiday with his friend, Jack Daniels.” A guy called The Purple Prince was the fill-in keyboard player, and the band was rounded out by a drummer, bassist and guitarist. The set ended with the song “Vegas”; the crowd wanting more.

Opening acts were Zambri and Gabby Glaser (ex-Luscious Jackson guitarist).–Teresa Sampson/photos by Tear-n Tan

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