I like Mika. He's puts heavy emphasis on both the "glam" and "pop" in glampop. I do have to admit that I was a little jealous last year when my very smart friend Deborah Barnard reviewed his sold the hell out Valentine's Day show at the Showbox Sodo and wrote:

While the performance plowed through most (if not all) of the songs off his debut album, Mika's vocals were impeccable — despite a sheepish apology mid-show for having a cold. With the way his voice clearly hit the high, soaring notes that were scattered throughout the song list for the night, though, you wouldn't have noticed otherwise...

For the finale, despite being sick, Mika bounded back on stage. We just didn't know it at the time. The first song was done behind a large white scrim to the tune "Teddy Bear's Picnic" and had band members frolicking into a wolf-induced orgy by the end of it; Mika emerged at the end, tearing off his wolf-head. The final song of the night, "Lollipop," involved girls in Alice in Wonderland dresses dancing with suckers bigger than they were; at the end of the song, confetti and balloons streamed down on the audience like a New Years Eve countdown.

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at Showbox Sodo

And so began the latest wave of super-hyped British glam pop-rock, with glowsticks imprinted with MIKA! flashing throughout the dancing audience.

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There are several ways to mark the 14th of February holiday tomorrow. Whether you're celebrating coupledom or on the prowl, there's nice, naughty, and all-ages type fun for everyone.

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What song do you think is the most irritating of all time?

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at SXSW 2007

The Imaginary SXSW mayhem continues, with our first imaginary showcase (featuring the Zebras, the Manhattan Love Suicides, BOAT, Tullycraft, the Faintest Ideas, and Palomar), plus Okkervil River, the Fratellis (!!), Amy Winehouse (!!), meeting Amy Winehouse (!!!!!), and more.

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