Estelle and I met up at Il Corral last night in our work clothes. She came straight from the office. I was so busy running around after I got home that I didn't even bother to change. Maybe at any other place this would be a non-issue, but Il Corral is total fashion without being all fashiony: girls in pouf skirts; boys in legwarmers; everyone in near-blinding color combinations. We particularly dug a way-'80s Esprit sweatshirt, the likes of which we have been seeking for years. Here's a picture of the dancefloor (note that this was taken early in the evening and by the time we left, it was almost impossible to move).

Estelle had never seen Mad Happy before and she was impressed from the beginning of the set. The vocals were mixed way too low and, as Rivka noted during the set, it put her in a bad mood. But, Rivka and Mike Ill danced around a lot and the mix did place the focus on their intriguing beats. Oh and did I mention dancing? Estelle loved Mike and Rivka's moves. For those of you who haven't seen Mad Happy before, you can check out this little snip of a clip on YouTube.
Meanwhile, here's Rivka working the merch booth. I loved her pink tights and red camo pants.

Earlier in the evening, we realized that our friend Bret, who plays bass for Anavan, was on the bill with his side project, Rib Bib. That said, we stuck around for two bands that I don't think either of us remembers while waiting to see what kind of madness Bret would unleash.
We ran into tons of cool folks in between the bands, but the highlight of our night was hanging out with Rib Bib's fox with a microphone, Eunice. We asked Eunice what inspired her very Jackie O. outfit and she replied, "Forever 21."
Rib Bib sounds a lot like we would expect a Bret-band to sound. Those of you who have heard Anavan or read his MP3 blog probably have an idea of what we mean. The band relies on two bassists, with Bret playing the lead like he's Peter Hook. A guy named Mike plays electronic drums and occasionally bursts into solo. Although Eunice, Bret and Scarlett all provide vocals, Eunice does the bulk of the singing to various Flying Lizard comparisons, I'm sure. There was one song where she cried "caw, caw," or at least it sounded like that is what she was singing. That's the number that got me rockin'. By the end of the set, Eunice was edging into the crowd and dancing with yours truly.
Here's our new buddy:

And this is the whole band in action.