Is This The End For “Ironic Hipster Karaoke Rock”?

Well, it took him less than a week, but Idolator videographer Alex Goldberg has found a band that irritates him more than the frontman of French dance-rock band Neimo. Here, with supporting video evidence, he relates witnessing the “death of ironic hipster karaoke rock,” the plague of bands featuring one or more people on stage “singing”/miming/dancing like tools while backed by iPod or laptop.

On Saturday, Dec. 29, I witnessed the death of a scene, the death of ironic hipster karaoke rock. I thought I had already witnessed it two summers ago during a live performance by a couple that looked like the Arcade Fire’s understudies–you know, in case Win sprains his ankle with all those kids up on stage–with a robot between them. What was the robot doing? Reciting the lyrics to the Velvet Underground’s “Heroin” as they were also projected onto a screen. Last Saturday was different, though. While it didn’t reek of the pretentiousness of the faux Arcade Fire and their robot pal, I knew I was in trouble as the Chuck Klosterman-plus-some-burritos-looking dude on stage asked the sound guy to lower the iPod in his monitor during sound check, which happened to be playing the instrumental version of R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix).” I knew this was the end. Or more accurately, should have been the end. I am calling for all dorks, geeks, and nerds–groups to which I belong–to stop playing shows simply because you can sing and dance awkwardly over some laptop MIDI track. Please stick to Rock Band. I am all for taking the pomposity out of the the “rock star,” but shouldn’t there be some limit as to who can or can’t get up onstage?

Alex unfortunately was unable to catch the name of this band, and so if anyone knows, feel free to tell us/him so as we can increase his pain be journalistically responsible.