Public Assembly isn’t the biggest venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's not even the biggest venue on the block – so it can be forgotten, sometimes. Here’s a tip: don’t sleep on it. You could end up as one of the few lonely strangers who get to see a hyper-talented band play whatever song you request, as was the case when the Wave Pictures hit the stage a few weeks ago. Seriously, they were taking requests from the audience. It was a hipster’s dream. Too bad a lot of them couldn't make it.
I was pretty unfamiliar with the band before the show, and was surprised that there were only three of them. I had thought they sounded a little more complex than a three-piece band normally does. I guess that’s not the sort of thing you're able to pick up on after a few cursory investigations of the band’s music. I knew about them for a while, but hadn’t given any serious study into the kind of tunes they put out.
The first thing I noticed was that it was clear these dudes weren’t interested in making any fashion statements. Their focus was on the music. Was that last sentence as douche-y as it looks? It's just a substance-over-style observation. I’m not trying to be all lofty over here, I’m just saying that it was obvious these Brits had some intimate knowledge of how to play their instruments.
Lead singer David Tattersal had more than a few guitar solos throughout the set and I’m positive that no one in that audience could replicate them, even after a few years of dedicated practice. His voice was as distinct as it is on their albums and the lyrics were good, but this guy played guitar with a kind of ease that rivals what it feels like to operate a kitchen cabinet. It was fun to watch and I’m not sure how he could get his fingers to move so fast. That’s a dexterity that I’m all too unfamiliar with. Later, he turned the guitar soloing over to his buddy, bassist Franic Rozycki. It's been a while since I’ve seen a bass solo, so maybe this wasn’t as cool as I thought it was. But, it was mad cool.
While I have to say that the lack of oddly shaped Brooklynites probably helped me enjoy The Wave Pictures, it was a bit sad to see these dudes from England come and play in a room that was merely half full. They had a funny kind of humbleness about the situation, which made it more comfortable. In the end, all three band members got their chance to sing a song and the small crowd that made it out, awkwardly danced the night away, in perfect contentment.
Artist:
www.thewavepictures.com/
www.myspace.com/thewavepictures
www.facebook.com/thewavepictures
www.twitter.com/TheWavePictures
Album:
The Wave Pictures' newest album, Beer In The Breakers, is available now as an import on Amazon. Buy it here .
