We dreamt about it; that night we fell in love at the Baths concert in San Francisco just 5 miles west of the ocean. A sold out show at the Independent on Divisidero in the middle of the city where the cool kids who spin vinyl stand in the front to have their drums blown out by the bass in the speakers created by the dynamic duo Baths. Duo? You must think I’m confused… but it’s true. One single man...
I know I can always refer to Wilco when I want to make a point about what an idiot I actually am. Not that it isn’t obvious to most people. Wilco is one of those bands that I’ve avoided most of my life. First because they weren’t aggressive enough, second because I associated them with my ex, and third because I thought they were washed up at this point. Like I said, I’m an idiot. Another reason for me to...
Sexy! Sexy! Sexy! Knees down and rockin’, Peaches blew the top off the house tonight.One thing for certain is that the boys and the girls alike came out to play with Peaches and I think not one of those souls left disappointed.By nights end, I know more than one of the fellas had tossed his shirt to the stage and the dancing never stopped. When Peaches & Herms appeared on the darkly lit stage from behind the draping velvet curtains...
Man, everything about The Rapture is fun fun fun! Plain and simple, feeling good is their straight-up agenda. It’s in their name, it’s in their lyrics, it’s in their sound, it’s in who they chose to open and it’s for goddamned sure in their live shows. The clarity of the band’s intentions means everyone shows up ready, willing and eager to stomp the shit out of the floor. It’s in the air before the lights go down—everyone in the place...
It’s sort of perilous to review The Knife’s stage show like any other quote unquote rock show because in many ways it comes off more as performance art than live music. Clad in head-to-toe face-obscuring costumes and standing in front and behind projection screens, there’s plenty to watch but not a lot being played live. That being said, the projections are brilliant and singer Karen Dreijer’s vocals come off pristine. While she hesitantly dances around the mic, her brother Olof...
Perhaps someone forgot to tell members of the National that they don’t always have to try so hard. That, like a string on a guitar, any performance will eventually snap after being wound tighter and tighter. But maybe the band is used to the snap after years of touring, because they seem to do it once every other song or so. The trying so hard is second nature now. And it’s only getting better, proved by the evening’s show with...
What a strange bill. It’s not surprising to see the Morning After Girls playing with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, but it certainly is odd to throw Elefant in the mix. Australia’s Morning After Girls were a stunning wall of sound as usual. The band seem to be putting on a more charismatic stage show with the more touring they do. Compared to last year’s gig at Spaceland, the Girls came off as more confident and more commanding. And then there’s...
Only a Venn diagram could truly depict the crossover for a bill like The Sword from Austin, Saviours from Oakland and Akimbo from Seattle. Of the three circles, metal is the underlying glue and ultimate center, but Akimbo leans more to hardcore as much as Saviours vaguely hint to their screamo roots, but all rock equally live in their own way. Opening the evening was Akimbo, a three-piece outfit touring in support of their latest album Forging Steel and Laying...