When it comes choosing the “best of” garage rock, Jay Reatard should be at the top of any respectable list. His music is like an assault on tempo – regularly going over the 100 beats-per-minute mark, his live set is relentless going continuous for forty-five minutes to an hour without coming up for air once, and his personality can best described as “keeping it real”. I was fortunate enough to catch a recent show of his at 59:1 in Munich, Germany.
Opening for the night was Munich’s own Mondo Ray which, if you recall from previous shows, proved to be a nice set-up to the Wavves show a while back. Although 59:1 is small, it definitely isn’t as small as the coffee shop sized Kafe Kult where they performed last. This provided a not-so welcoming atmosphere for them as the dreaded European force-field extended about ten-feet from the stage providing an awkward buffer from the crowd to the band. Regardless of the weird dynamic, Mondo Ray put on a hell of a show with their high energy garage rock/punk that would have fit in nicely with anyone’s SXSW line-up had they been there. Oh yeah, and the drummer is ridiculous, beating out hard-driving tempos and slamming downbeats like there was no tomorrow.
After they left, it was only a couple of minutes before Jay and the crew (bassist Stephen Pope and drummer Billy Hayes) took the stage for a non-stop fifty minute set where even switches between instrumentations were filled with heavy noise guitar providing absolutely no relief. The antithesis of banter-filled bands, Jay Reatard only spoke (or more like shouted) the names of each track prior to playing them. And play them did he ever…
Chaotically rushing through hits from 2006’s Blood Visions and 2008’s Matador Singles, Jay was in his element gracefully sliding up and down his guitar neck without missing a beat even during the head-banging choruses. It was like witnessing a real-life guitar hero game. Without a doubt, the highlight was his rendition of “My Shadow” on speed, taking the 3+ minute track and shrinking it into a mindboggling 145 seconds. Absolutely unreal. Needless to say the one-minute “It’s Not a Substitute” was more of a blur than a song. Although exuding energy from every pore of their body, it somehow didn’t stick with the audience. Contrary to the more boisterous Black Lips turnout, Reatard was able to draw the elitist garage punk enthusiasts who were incredibly bashful even for European standards.
Regardless, Reatard completely owned the night. When the last inkling of reverb faded out after they left the stage, I was left to compile my thoughts and try to sort out the auditory haze I just experience. The question of “what just happened” never got fully answered and only until my neck became less stiff and my hearing less buzzy did I feel recovered – and that was a good three days later. So yeah, it was a great night.
Setlist:
An Ugly Death
It’s So Easy
Not A Substitute
My Shadow
Oh It’s Such A Shame
See/Saw
All Over Again
I’m Watching You
Blood Visions
Nightmares
Fading All Away
Trapped Here
Greed Money Useless Children
Hammer I Miss You
Waiting for Something
Let It All Go
Jay Reatard // Always Wanting More
Tags: 59:1, Concert, Concert Photos, Jay Reatard, Live