Posts Tagged ‘Concert Videos’

Neko Case // Munich // February 19, 2009

Saturday, February 21st, 2009


In an effort to work the kinks out of her new material live, Neko Case put together a brief European tour before Middle Cyclone drops on March 3. I was fortunate enough to catch an intimate show of theirs (approximately 100 people) put on at the Orangehouse – a venue more known for bringing in obscure metal and hard rock acts than critically acclaimed alt. country groups.

Still reeling from the effects of jet lag, Case & Co. was more laid-back and subdued than taking charge as their new awesome album cover would suggest. Although an inordinate amount of time was spent having to tune after every song (one of my personal pet peeves) which gave way to some of the most bizarre banter I have ever heard, when the band got their act together and actually started to play some music, it was heavenly.

The band opened with one of the Fox Confessor favorites “Maybe Sparrow”. If there was any doubt in my mind that Case couldn’t replicate her singing in a live setting, it was squelched within the first opening bars. I was surprised that after such little warm-up during sound check Case was able to belt out album-quality vocals throughout her complete range with not so much as a hint of uneasiness. It was absolutely stunning.
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Wavves // Munich // February 17, 2009

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009


Last night I was able to catch a really good Wavves concert (with a great opening act Mondo Ray) that I wrote about for The Llano Idea. Here is an excerpt you can find in full here:

Instead of trying to recreate the cacophony of sounds associated with every Wavves song, Williams opted instead to sift his live music through a coarse audio strainer, leaving out the harshest of elements to better highlight the more melodic parts. Although noise punk purists would probably scoff at such a move, the clarity in sound made the vocals more distinguishable, allowing fans next to me to utter to each other “so THAT’S what he’s saying!”

There was no dull moment the entire show with Williams filling his 40 minute set with future hit after future hit. With Ulsh’s powerful drumming (especially on the catchy-as-hell opening), “So Bored” was the opposite of malaise – jolting the crowd out of their nonchalant funk. Williams went especially berserk on “No Hope Kids”, excitedly jumping around on stage and shouting used-to-be-truthful lines like “Got no job / Got no money” between pauses from headbanging. Although most of his songs center on high intensity and speedy tempos, Wavves isn’t a one-trick pony. Exhibiting his ability to slow it down, Williams shined vocally on “Weed Demon” – making his “oohs” and “ahhs” sound about ten times creepier live.

You can check out my photos and videos from the Wavves concert and also jam out to some tunes below.

Wavves // So Bored

Wavves // Wavves

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Islands // Prague // February 14, 2009

Monday, February 16th, 2009


Who would have thought that of all of the concerts I’ve witnessed in Europe so far, an Islands show in Prague would be the one I would have the most difficulty getting into because of the dreaded word “capacity”? I arrived at the “club”, or more accurately the basement of a college dormitory, a good half hour before Islands took the stage for, surprisingly, an opening act time slot. Already the place was packed enough that their meager coat check room was filled to the brink and standing room only was the norm. Low ceilings and dense cigarette smoke (I guess one of the few EU nations who don’t care about 2nd hand smoke) was a trademark of the venue making me relive all of the horrific news ticker “Dozens Die in Horrific Club Fire” headlines from the past.

All concerns and emergency exits plans were forgotten once Islands took the stage. Playing their patented crisp indie-pop grooves, the band was able to work around their claustrophobic inducing small stage quarters to give the audience a great show. Unfortunately, the crowd didn’t return the favor posing instead to be more nonchalant than excited, something I definitely didn’t expect from such an overflowing group of college kids. Regardless, Islands were able to churn out hit after hit (I’m looking at you “Creeper” and “The Arm”) while keeping the crowd between “arms crossed” and “nodding level” of entertained.
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Crystal Antlers // Munich // February 9, 2009

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009


A lot of emphasis has been placed recently on the emergence of noise rock/punk bands. Mostly hailing from the West Coast, acts like No Age, Mika Miko, and HEALTH have rejuvenated a long line of distortion-happy groups stemming from the shoegazers of the late 80s and early 90s. Although it seems like every other new act these days aim to destroy melodies with raucous guitar in the hopes of being labeled the “most noisy”, Long Beach natives Crystal Antlers flip it around and produce some well thought out music that is on the brink of being more psychedelic than punk.

Pretty much every noise band that I’ve witnessed always seems to put on an energetic show representative of their music taste. Crystal Antlers were no exception to this – demolishing even my substantial expectations with every track. Although the crowd was of a meager size (saying there was 20 people there was probably generous), they were still able to put on a great set that gave me more enjoyment than the riot-like atmosphere of the Black Lips just a couple of nights before. Graced with an allotment of new music from a recording session prior to their European tour, there was no doubt that the band has been enjoying playing something other than the six tracks off their EP. One of the highlights in fact was a “never performed live” song off of their about-to-be-released LP Tentacles which had a four minute guitar interlude reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine’s patented thrashing. If the rest of the album is like that, it will be one of the most talked about albums of the year.
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Black Lips // Munich, Germany // February 5, 2009

Friday, February 6th, 2009


Odds are if you’ve heard about Black Lips it’s most likely due to seeing one of their crazy live shows are talking to someone who has. Stage diving, nudity, urinating and countless other acts done for “shock value” can be expected at a typical Lips set. Although they’ve claimed that they have cut down on their on-stage shenanigans, their recent stint in India where they subsequently got banned from the sub-continent after their second gig (the final slot in an Indian Metal “Battle of the Bands”) proves that their new-found “maturity” seems to be intermittent at best.

After the dust settled, the Black Lips caught a plane to Germany to record an EP with fellow, and equally volatile, King Khan before heading out on a European tour, sans Khan. Needless to say after hearing the news from Asia, I was amped to be able to see their act in person at a small venue in Munich. After an energetic but overall flat opener HARA-KEE-REES, the crowd braced for the main event by compacting themselves close to the stage. This was probably the most excited I’ve seen a European audience since my arrival a year ago.
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