O2 Academy, Edinburgh, August 17
REAT pop ideas never die. Devo’s incursion into the mainstream on the cusp of the 1980s may have been brief, but they left a big dent in the cultural landscape, and remain a design classic today. Like a goofy postmodern mash-up of Kraftwerk and the Sex Pistols, they predicted much of the look, sound and attitude of the incoming new wave decade. The buzzy crowd at this packed Edinburgh show, many wearing the band’s signature “energy dome” ziggurat hats, is testament to their enduring legacy: as much surreal comedy
