Aussie disco punk at it’s finest. I had become a fan of this band from Digitalism’s remix of Down, Down, Down and few other singles off of their earlier album, Beams. Little did I know how much I would enjoy the tracks from their new album, Apocalypso which I had not heard before the show.
This new record will probably be a strong contender for the best electronic/dance album to come out this year but we have a lot of year left and clearly, some big releases have been falling through the cracks for me.
The show itself is what you would expect from an electronic band and unless you love to dance and/or get off on vintage electronic gear from the 70s and 80s, this show might have gotten a little boring. However, a friend of mine, who has a lot of experience at the Bowery, said he had never seen the crowd dancing like they were for The Presets. And if you take into consideration that New York crowds are supposedly boring, this show just might have been exceptionally good.
I enjoyed it.
Talk Like That
Down Down Down
Girl
A New Sky
Yippiyo-ay
Are You The One?
Together
Aeons
Girl and The Sea
Steamworks
This Boy’s In Love
Kicking and Screaming
My People
Anywhere
I Go Hard, I Go Home
Yet another show I was convinced I needed to see only to realize I shouldn’t have needed any convincing. If you like the White Stripes…imagine a full, southern-rock/blues influenced band backing up Jack White. Rockers in the audience were certainly impressed by Jack White’s presence and energy while the rockaphiles were getting blown away by the jams the band kicked out on each song.
Brendan Benson fronts a couple of songs and as good as he is, they end up being forgettable. Maybe he was overshadowed by Jack White singing into the mirror he had mounted on his guitar stack. Or maybe Benson is overshadowed by the entire band he’s involved with. Yeah, that’s it.
Also, this was my first show at the brand, spankin’ new music venue Terminal 5. What I think sums up this place is the fact that it reminds me of the dance club in Basic Instinct. That’s just weird.
Consoler of the Lonely
Store Bought Bones
Hold Up
You Don’t Understand Me
Top Yourself
Old Enough
The Switch and the Spur
Level
Keep It Clean (Charley Jordan cover)
Steady as She Goes
Many Shades of Black
Rich Kid Blues
Blue Veins
Salute Your Solution
Broken Boy Soldier
Attention
Carolina Drama
Finally, I get around to reviewing this show two weeks after the fact. The simple truth is, the show was like taking a time machine back to 1997 when a college buddy first turned me on to Urban Hymns. Richard Ashcroft and the band look and sound just like they did 10 years ago. I was taken back several times during the show at how good Ashcroft sounded. I was standing pretty close to the stage, near the left PA and I couldn’t see him wearing an ear monitor. Perhaps it was tiny and wireless but the guy can still rock the vocals.
Another obvious observation: everyone there was my age…or older. Ashcroft made references to coming to play New York for the first time when they were 21. Something tells me they were a lot like the younger musicians I meet these days: punk douchebags. But their talent has carried them through some superb material, a long break-up/hiatus all to return in 2008 to make a boat load of money from the reunion tour and, oh, record a new album.
Believe it or not, the two new songs performed were some of my favorites of the evening. It’s not their same sound but more their psychadelic-rock view of today’s indie-rock music. Although a cool song on its own, expect a slammin’ dance remix of Love is Pain to be hitting the bars and clubs later this year.
The rest of the show, as Ashcroft remarked, proved the break didn’t make them any less psychedelic. My only complaint is that they didn’t play Blue - my favorite song by the band. It also didn’t help that I lost hearing my in left ear for a couple of days (I’m sure some of it is never coming back) but that wasn’t their fault. I maybe getting to that age where earplugs are a good idea.
New Decade
Sonnet
This Is Music
Space In Time
Life’s An Ocean
Already There
Weeping Willow
Sit and Wonder (new)
The Rolling People
Gravity Grave
Drugs Don’t Work
Lucky Man
Come On
History
Bittersweet Symphony
Love Is Pain (new)
A great friggin show. The performance was mind-blowing and the crowd was awesome with a strong Texas contingent. I loved it. Before I get back to work on my dance moves, here is an attempt at a setlist. I think it’s complete but probably a little off on the order:
Piano Man
All You Rock & Rollers
Stranger Lovers
Vibrate
Sad Sad City
Edge of Town
No Place For Me
Midnight Voyage
Move With Your Lover
Shoot ‘Em Down
Dancin’ On My Grave
Heavy Heart
Robotique Majestique
The Band Marches On
Silver City
Rich Man
HFM
Also, an impressive set of photos of the show by “Madeas” is live on Flickr. I recognize these from the photographer who was standing right in front of us. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate people hauling their gear into these shows and putting their stuff up on Flickr for everyone to enjoy. It’s rock photography at its finest.
See this charming post on Gawker offering some constructive criticism on NYMag.com’s new homepage design. I know the feedback will be appreciated, even from a blogger who takes big risks with Web design by resisting the urge to mark up photos with white scribbles in MS Paint.
How does he do it?
I was just listening to Junkie XL - More
I was in somewhat disbelief last night when I received a last-minute beacon to come out to Williamsburg to see The Hives. I didn’t know they were playing out there nor had I remembered they were playing in New York. I acquired a copy of their new album, Black & White, several weeks ago but hadn’t listened to it in a while. In fact, I can’t say I generally listen to the band except when it comes up on random. It’s neue punk/indie rock and while they have plenty of excellent tracks, it’s rare I would sit down to a whole helping of The Hives.
Now that I have seen them live it’s easy to look at this band in a whole new light. Their wit, energy and presence doesn’t translate on their records like it does when they’re on stage. The lead singer, Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, might as well be the bastard child of Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger, backed up by AC/DC. It isn’t often to enjoy a combo platter of fancy microphone acrobatics (except for Ghostland Observatory), scissor kicks, stage diving and endless banter from your leading rock stars these days. By far the best commentary of the evening was something along the lines of, How about clapping Brooklyn? I know it’s been a long time since there was clapping in Brooklyn but I don’t even have to ask for it anymore. I know they say audiences in Brooklyn are boring but I don’t know what they’re talking about.
Oh and this is all spoken with an accent as if Elvis was Swedish but spoke English almost perfectly. It was pure rock and roll showmanship and entertainment — truly a lost art that this band has mastered and perfected.
Setlist
Try It Again
Guerre Nucleaire
A Little More For You
Walk Idiot Walk
No Pun Intended
Bigger Hole To Fill
Die All Right
Hate To Say I Told You So
Here We Go Again
Won’t Be Long
Diabolic Scheme
You Dress Up For Armageddon
Two Timing Touch
Tick Tick Boom
You Got It All Wrong
Main Offender
Return The Favour
I was just listening to The Hives - Walk Idiot Walk