The Death Set came highly recommended from my friend Scott, and I can see why he likes them: they’re a bit off-kilter, spastic, and bring a lot of kids that like to dance. They consist of two guys playing guitar and singing (almost yelping, really) over a laptop that spits out rapid drum machine beats. The songs last no longer than two minutes each (really more like a minute and a half), with random tracks (Jackson 5 to rap hits) in-between that give the feel of a DJ set punctuated by short bursts of punk. Their high energy set seemed short and promising; they brought a small (but clearly excited) group of fans who took over the front while they played; unfortunately, their sound was terrible and you couldn’t hear much more than the beats from the laptop. I would go see this band again, however, particularly in a small room somewhere.

Suicide were the main event, as chances to see them are few and far between. Judging from the age of the crowd, I’d guess that maybe a third of the folks in attendance would have had the chance to see Suicide back in the day, or at least have heard their records when they’d only been out for a few years. For everyone else, including myself, it was an opportunity to see a hugely influential, if relatively unknown band, who earned a brutal reputation for live performances at the beginning of punk in America. Going back and listening to their first two records, it’s amazing just how many bands (from synth-pop to industrial) ripped them off. But that’s what it means to be an innovator, paving a path for many others who will follow.

I’ve read a great deal about Suicide’s abrasive, confrontational shows from the seventies and early eighties. I didn’t expect that kind of experience these many years later, but I was still very curious to see what this band would sound like, in general, and after all this time. It was, for lack of a better word, interesting. Martin Rev had nice equipment, and his beats and synth lines sounded great. He was also wearing some kind of jumpsuit with some of the largest, strangest sunglasses I’ve ever seen. I believe the set was largely improvised (it certainly wasn’t a ‘greatest hits set’, though I wouldn’t expect that from this band). They did play Cherie, and Frankie Teardrop, however, both of which were good.

Alan Vega looked liked he’d lived through that turbulent time so long ago, complete with a wizened swagger that convinced me that he was once as menacing as the stories I’ve read, and as intense as the singer of Frankie Teardrop would need to be. He stalked around, without a bite but with a good deal of disdain for everyone there, including himself: playing at a music festival with corporate sponsors at a NYC tourist destination is nearly antithetical to the ethos of Suicide’s career. The tension showed. But I know that I was thrilled to have had the chance to see them, as were many folks there, and that at the end of their bitter set, with a great deal of enthusiasm and applause from the crowd, they looked a little flustered, pleased even, at the reception they received after all these years. They smiled. They even played an encore. If a band like Gang of Four can suddenly (and deservedly) be discovered by a new generation of music lovers, and receive credit for influencing a generation of current bands, Suicide deserves that much and more.

Labels: Concert Reviews, Suicide, The Death Set

I’ve been in love with Devotchka for a while now; their records are flawless, sad, romantic and beautiful. For all the attention that other bands playing “gypsy” music have been receiving in the past year or two (cough *Beirut* cough), I don’t understand how Devotchka isn’t headlining festivals, as they do this style of music more uniquely and frankly better than anyone else in the genre. Luckily for me, I still have the chance to catch them in intimate venues like the Spiegletent.

The Spiegletent is a traveling tent that roosts at the South Street Seaport for the summer. I’m told that the main event at the tent is a cirque du soleil type acrobatic variety show. But when that’s over they occasionally put on concerts, which I guarantee to be a unique experience. The tent itself is large and circular, with booths lining the perimeter. If a group of wealthy gypsy’s had a traveling pub with a stage, this is what it would look like. Detailed wood panels, wood beams and mirrors surround you. A stage is set up at the opposite end of the tent where the band plays with an open floor in front of them. It would also be a great place to have a dance. Here’s a hint of you’re going to a show here: if you purchase your ticket with an American Express card, they’ll let you skip the line and go into the venue ahead of everyone else.

The Spiegletent was a perfect place to see Devotchka, who were even better than I hoped. It was the kind of night where my friends and I would drink much wine before the show, excited to see a band that are objectively better than ninety-five percent of the shows that we normally attend. It’s an evening to be emotional, to get swept away with beautiful, haunting melodies while dancing to intricate rhythms with a room full of friends and strangers just as captivated as you are. Devotchka are a crack band of musicians; each instrument is featured at interesting and appropriate times, ranging from a string quartet that weeps and dances, to a tuba, sounding like a giant ship blasting bass lines appropriate for a spy-noir thriller. The singer, Nick Urata, has a voice that’s hyper-emotive, captivating and beautiful; it sits atop the intricate instrumentation without imposing, but rather bringing already engaging music to emotional highs and lows that aren’t common. The list of bands I’ve seen that can put on shows as good as this one was isn’t very long, go see them while they’re still playing venues that are not that big. If they play Spiegletent again, I’ll be there without a second thought.

Labels: Concert Reviews, DeVotchKa

It’d been quite some time since I’d seen Annuals, and much had happened since catching them at SXSW: they’d stayed on the road since, touring extensively in Europe and playing most of the major festivals across the pond (Reading, Roskilde) and over here (Lollapalooza). They also signed to Virgin in the UK, and released Be He Me on the Moshi Moshi imprint. For a bunch of 20 year olds, they’re still doing quite well.

So how does all this affect their live show? Mostly that it just keeps getting easier and easier from them, apparently. I don’t think that playing a big empty pool is an ideal venue for them (too much gear and too much space to make it sound right), but they’re able to cruise through their set, not missing a beat. The highlights of the show are still the moments when they bring three drummers strong, giving a rhythmic, muscular base to the pretty, wistful melodies that make up the best moments of their debut. I’m looking forward to what they do next, as what has always been most appealing about Annuals was the enormous potential I hear and see in their music.

On this day I was more excited to see Band of Horses, as Everything All the Time was one of my favorite records of last year, a record that’s aged very well. And I’d never seen Band of Horses, so I wanted to know if that which makes them special on the record exists in their live show. They played most of their debut, and added in a few new songs, which seemed pretty good. The sound, unfortunately, was muddy and generally terrible. However, as is one of the marks of a good band, I still had a good time listening to them and hanging out with my friends on a perfect sunny day for a show. A friend of mine had a very different experience than me, and honestly I remember this show more from his description than mine, which is something like this:

“I was backstage at the show, catching up with some good friends that I’d not had the chance to see for a while. My friends also happen to be pretty tight with Band of Horses, and they’d had a good time fucking around with them before their set. We watched the show sitting at the back of the stage, directly behind the band. We spent our time heckling the drummer, throwing things at him and smoking grass while we caught up. Band of Horses sounded great, and some of the new songs floored me. But the highlight of the show was definitely when they played Funeral: the drummer turned to look back at us and did one of those excellent drumstick spins, pointed at us and nodded his head as he came crashing into the chorus with the rest of the band. It was a little surreal.”

Labels: Annuals, Band of Horses, Concert Reviews

The Besnard Lakes were one of a few pleasant surprises at SXSW for me earlier this year, and in the time since that show I’ve grown quite fond of their most recent record, The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse. That record is an interesting collage of brooding, winding dirges that slowly build to classic rock catharsis, with a sensibility that’s very seventies and also with some sixties-style harmonizing thrown in for good measure. It wasn’t an immediate record, but after spending some time with it …The Horse will likely end up in my top twenty this year.

I consequently held high hopes for the show; the Mercury Lounge would also give them the chance to deliver in the way that an outdoor stage with a short set at SXSW would not. I was very satisfied with the results: the Besnard Lakes brought their own sound man, and the mix was impeccable, albeit about two notches too loud for such a small room. The band had been on the road a great deal (if not continuously) since I last saw them, and they had the chops to prove it. Every song was crisp, and they created the atmosphere necessary to keep a sold-out crowd’s attention through tracks that build slowly and are not meant for the ADD set. Every time the band opened up for a big chorus, the sonic rush was satisfying and emotional. I left feeling very nostalgic for a moment in time I never knew, where I imagine hearing songs like that on AM radio while cruising down some wide open highway in the evening, and listening to them later at home on vinyl, in my wood paneled basement den with shag carpeting, feeling a little righteous. I wouldn’t recommend this band to the completely uninitiated, but if you’ve heard the record before, absolutely go check them out.

Labels: Besnard Lakes, Concert Reviews