Category: Concert Review

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Concert Review

High energy Kooley High show a success

There are about 465 words I’ll use to describe the energy at the Kooley High CD Release party this past Saturday night at The Pour House.  Not only did Lazurus, Actual Proof, King Mez, and Kooley High deliver, they all captured the crowd’s attention throughout the entire show.  Each set was quick, to the point and fun – something I often miss at an indie rock show.

I arrived at The Pour House around ten to find a healthy throng of people smoking their last cigarettes before the show started.  King Mez was standing outside and hyped up the show by telling us how pumped he was for it tonight.  Just seeing his energy got me excited to see what would happen inside.  Lazurus took to the stage right on time.  This guy is a super hyped-up MC that had me laughing and throwing my hands back and forth with the crowd.  He started his set with some a cappella rhymes and then brought out the beats for about thirty minutes.  He wrapped up his set with a gift for the fans– T-shirts and albums.  Luckily, I managed to snag an album.

 

Actual Proof set up shop next.  These two young guys from Raleigh’s own Enloe High School killed it on stage.  Not only did they look fresh, but they sounded smart, fast, and just plain good.

In between sets I had to fight my way back to the bar to refill my drink.  That’s a good thing when it comes to local music shows.  All kinds of people were coming together for this show and everyone was pushing for a place near the stage.

I made my way up to the second story to capture the energy of King Mez.  The picture below captures the best point of the night in my opinion.  Everyone watched as the rapper performed solo.  I loved his introductions to his producers and shout outs to his friends.  His personality shone through his entire set.

Lastly, Kooley High performed against the festive decor surrounding the stage. Female emcee Rhapsody put the Christmas lights to shame in her performance with fellow group members Charlie Smarts and Tab One.  The group was celebrating the release of their new album “Kooley High Presents… David Thompson” which is available digitally here.  Kooley High has a lot to celebrate, including the success of their show.  They got at least one new fan who walked away from the venue still humming their beats in my head.

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Concert Review

96x Winter Meltdown

 

This past Thursday, Dec. 1, 96X hosted Winter Meltdown at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va. The lineup consisted of Days Difference, Young the Giant, Taking Back Sunday, Sleeper Agent, Foster the People, Grouplove, Cage the Elephant, Cake, The Naked and Famous, and Bush. The Center itself was very similar to the RBC Center. The bands were separated between two stages; the main one was on the coliseum floor and the other was in one of the larger rooms of to the side.

Opening up on the smaller stage was Days Difference, a local band from Virginia Beach. Their upbeat and energetic sounds set the tone for the rest of the evening. This concert was our first encounter with the band, but both the band and the crowd seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Following their performance, the crowds moved back to the main room for Young the Giant. They made their entrance on the main stage with “My Apartment,” kicking off their five-song setlist.  They followed this up with the lead vocalist and drummer starting “I Got” in an acapella fashion.  Sameer Gadhia looked like he was having a good time as he jumped back and forth between his dual microphones and smashed the crash cymbal with his tambourine. They also added a new song into their set which was received well.  They ended their set with everyone screaming along (including us) to “My Body.”

Taking Back Sunday was on the main stage with their original lineup and was better than ever.  You could tell that they were enjoying themselves with the original five back up on stage.  In the spirit of the evening, they opened up with their rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” before exploding into the song “El Paso.”  They played some songs off their new self-titled effort and returned to some classics like “Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut from the Team)” and “A Decade Under the Influence.”  When talking to people in between sets, many were most excited about Taking Back Sunday and they did not seem to be let down at all.

After them, it was time to head back to the smaller room for Sleeper Agent (who referred to it as the ‘cool room’). The first couple songs had a bit of a feedback issue, but once that was fixed, they sounded great. After playing “Get It Daddy,” Tony Smith remarked on how awesome it was that people knew their songs well enough to sing along.

Moving back to the main stage, Foster the People was ready to go on.  As the lights rose, they began a drum circle which led into “Call It What You Want.” It turns out the weird laughs in “Don’t Stop” are done by Mark Foster himself. The band could not stop dancing throughout their set and I don’t think there was a single person in the room who did not at least tap their foot. They finished up with their signature “Pumped Up Kicks.” Even though they lengthened the song by adding choruses for the crowd to sing along, their set seemed to end way too soon.

After Foster’s set, it was time to head back to the smaller stage for Grouplove. They strutted onto stage to some hip-hop before playing “Love Will Save Your Soul.” We had never heard of Grouplove before, but we got a hold of their album when we found out we would be going to the show and have not put it down yet.  Christian Zucconi was sporting an awesome sweater, as the picture shows. They finished up with “Tongue Tied,” and the crowd sang with them until the very end.

When they finished their set we moved back to main stage for a brief statement about Wounded Warrior, a program that helps injured veterans. A few minutes later, the lights dimmed and we could barely make out Cage the Elephant making their way on stage. The lights came on as they started to play “In One Ear.” If you’ve seen Cage the Elephant before you’ll know that Matt Shultz likes to mess around with the timing of his lyrics. This was quite true during “Around My Head,” when he paused for a solid 30 seconds after the first chorus (before “Do youuuuuuuu”). They finished up with “Sabertooth Tiger,” during which Matt stood on the crowd and then convulsed on the stage.  They were by far the most energetic band there.  Although the venue was huge, they made it seem small as Matt made the six-foot leap into the crowd several times.

After a few minutes of set up, Cake came out on stage and immediately started playing “The Distance,” as the crowd roared with approval. They played a few old songs before switching over to new material. As John McCrea stated, the new music was a bit angrier than stuff they did before, and jokingly told easily offended people to leave. They finished up with “Sick of You.”

The Naked and Famous began in the smaller room.  Since it was later in the night, this room reached maximum capacity quickly, and people were out in the hall trying to get a listen.  They put on a great energetic show, and the crowd got into it as well.  Everyone sang along to their songs like “Punching in a Dream” and “All of This.”  Their show ended all too soon as it was time to move out to the main room for Bush.

It took a while to pile out of the room from the Naked and Famous and we made it in about halfway through the first song of their set.  At this point the entire stage had opened up and the lights and fog machines were running on high.  Everyone seemed excited to see them as it was their first string of shows in nine years.  They played some classics that everyone sang along to as well as some new material from their latest output The Sea of Memories.

Eventually the show came to an end.  It was then that we realized how hungry and tired of standing we were.  We had been listening to great music non-stop for seven hours.  It’s amazing to think that none of the 10 bands put on a bad show and most of them have been in heavy rotation in our CD players.  It was definitely worth the six-hour round-trip drive and terrible 1 a.m. McDonald’s food.

-DJ Dewey Decibel and DJ DiGiorno

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Concert Review

Local Favorites Play the Cradle

Sunday, November 27 Lonnie Walker, Ed Scrader’s Music Beat and Future Islands took the stage at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro. According to Sam Herring, it was the best-selling show yet of their US tour – and it was date #30.

Local band Lonnie Walker opened. The set started a little early and was shorter than the fans wanted. What can we say – we love Lonnie. After closing out with their most popular songs, Ed Scharder’s Music Beat took the stage. The two-piece is from Baltimore, where Future Islands now reside. The songs were short but powerful, up-in-your-face without scaring you away.

Jenna writes:

If you think you don’t like Future Islands, go to one of their shows and you’ll think again. Watching this band live is an unforgettable visceral experience that will leave you tired, sweaty and wishing for more. You will be entranced by frontman Sam Herring’s theatrical stage presence and how every word he sings is so infused with genuine energy, passion and (usually) heartache. Sam is charming, entertaining and rigorously emotional all at once and his performance is one from which you will not be able to look away – you will see him crouch to the ground, jump, dance and beat his fists against his chest all while singing in his gruff and deeply yearning vocals. In between songs, Sam steps out of this character and engages the crowd instead with lighthearted anecdotes that starkly contrast the intensely emotional songs. The way the band interacts with the audience is humble despite all this, letting you know they’re excited and grateful to be there, too.

Over the past few years every Future Islands show I’ve attended has seemed more packed than the one before it, and Sunday night’s performance at Cat’s Cradle was no exception. This is a band that consistently puts on a stellar live show and that has helped them continue to build a loyal following in the Triangle, and hopefully beyond. While their records are absolutely worth thousands of listens, if you have never seen Future Islands before I guarantee that after you do, you will appreciate this band in a way that you cannot even imagine now.

Last Sunday, Future Islands along with Lonnie Walker and Ed Schrader’s Music Beat captivated the audience at Cat’s Cradle with their diverse and energetic performances. These are three unique live acts that are definitely worth keeping an eye out for, whether you missed the show on Sunday night or because you can’t wait to see them again.

 

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Concert Review

Phantogram and EXITMUSIC at Cat’s Cradle, 11/15/11

I had the opportunity to see Phantogram at Cat’s Cradle last year, which ended up being a great show. I was really excited when I found out they were coming back around to the Triangle, but their performance this past Tuesday, Nov. 15, was not quite what I expected. I’ll get into this in more detail in a bit, but first I want to discuss EXITMUSIC’s opening performance.

EXITMUSIC was treated to a large crowd of fans, all pumped for the show that was about to ensue. Their set started out strong: the percussion was spot on and the lead singer had a very distinct, yet interesting voice; I instantly drew connections to the Zola Jesus performance I saw a couple of weeks before. Their style capitalized on the point at which a buzzy, guitar-driven band pushes into more intimate territory.  Unfortunately, that became redundant after a while. It was as if every song was meant to build momentum, but the set never hit a climax (although, it would fit their name of “EXITMUSIC”: every song written like the last song of an album).  The crowd was pretty stoical as well, presumably due to the fact they were just there to see Phantogram.  Their recordings do not succumb to this issue, however, so I would recommend listening to this band.

The set change involved putting a ton of lights around the stage, which got me excited for what was to come. The projections during Phantogram’s last performance were spot on, so I was excited to see how all of these lights were going to be implemented into the show. After the stage had been filled with fog and all of the band’s equipment set up, the crowd was pumped for Phantogram to begin.

After getting over the initial shock of the amazing light setup that was taking place, I realized I wasn’t into the performance. Phantogram started by playing a lot of tracks from their new EP, Nightlife, and an irking rework of an older song from their debut, Eyelid Moves. The striking break-beat drums of that release had been replaced by a more rolling rhythm line, and the guitar had been pushed down in the mix to make room for heavily sequenced synthesizers. The dark and intimate emotion of their older work was being replaced by a sense of artificial happiness that did not go over well, in my opinion. The crowd, which was densely packed and composed of a lot of new faces, didn’t seem to mind, and the band trudged on.

This mood pervaded a good bit of the rest of the set. Things started to change as the aggressive drumming on “Futuristic Casket” began (break-beat intact). The performance of that song was a complete change-up for the set. It felt aggressive and dark, and I was very impressed with how the lights interacted with the music. They ended their main set appropriately with “When I’m Small,” which was also a very solid rendition that rang true with everything their fans love about the original.

As the band left the stage briefly, mountains of applause erupted. Phantogram came back for a two-song encore, which began with the uncharacteristically slow “Nightlife.” This song was probably the highlight of my night; instead of pushing in those aggressive synths like they had for much of the performance, they kept the song rather stripped-down, which was a great stylistic choice both as a performance progression and as a closer.

All in all, Cat’s Cradle put on a decent show, though there were some mixing kinks. In general, the vocals were fairly quiet, and the percussion during EXITMUSIC’s set was mic’d too high. I would most definitely go back to the venue and am still digging the changes they implemented earlier this year.

-John and Kenneth

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Concert Review

St. Vincent Amazes at the Brudenell

Let me start by saying that on Wednesday, Nov. 16, a tiny woman in massive heels brought a packed venue to its knees. As one of my English pals so articulately put it, “She makes that guitar her bitch.”

St. Vincent brought out the largest crowd that I have seen at the Brudenell Social Club (although I haven’t been to that many), and rightly so. She has come off of one of her most successful and critically acclaimed releases, Strange Mercy. With anticipations high, the tension was palpable as the stage crew tuned the guitars, adjusted the lights, and kicked the fog machines into full gear, after a wait that seemed like an eternity.

When she did come out, the tiny Annie Clark in her high heels showed that big surprises come in small packages. Playing mostly off of the excellent Strange Mercy, the powerful sound of St. Vincent demonstrated the best of the recent album. Despite the amazingly forceful performance of many of her excellent new tracks, Clark came across as incredibly modest throughout those brief moments in between songs where she gave the audience a brief glimpse into everything from her music video for “Cruel” to her recent cover of The Pop Group’s “She Is Beyond Good and Evil.”

It wasn’t all constrained to the new work, as Clark and company provided some of the greatest moments performing older hits, including an excellent cover of “She Is Beyond Good and Evil.” It was St. Vincent’s performance of “Marrow” that they were able to give a much more intense life to, which cannot be given complete justice when listened to recorded. It was the encore that stole the show with an amazing rendition of “Your Lips Are Red." It featured Clark jumping into the audience at the most intense moments of the track, and within seconds doing a complete turnaround and calming down the song to what was the end of one of the greatest performances I have seen in recent memory.

And on that night Clark certainly made that guitar her bitch.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itt0rALeHE8

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Concert Review

That one time when Architecture in Helsinki came before school work

Finals at N.C. State are coming up, and with them comes heaps of homework. This past Monday, Nov. 14, Nicole and I found ourselves in the best kind of dilemma. We both had a ridiculous night of homework ahead of us, but Dom and Architecture in Helsinki were performing at Cat’s Cradle! After weighing our success in school against our love of indie rock, we found middle ground. We justified a trip to Carrboro with hopes that the bands’ energy would help us to stay up for a late night of homework. We at WKNC are true problem solvers!

We arrived at Cat’s Cradle right in the middle of Dom’s set. The band resembled an Urban Outfitters catalog while playing the hazy pop tunes that we all fell in love with at the beginning of this year. Dom played a good portion of music from their first EP and ended with “Living In America,” by far their #1 single. The only thing lacking from Dom’s performance on Monday night was…well, energy. I wanted more excitement during “Living In America.” Instead, the band looked like they were bored and ready to get off stage. It was hard to tell through his thick mass of red hair, but it seemed Dom made eyes with us a few times. It wasn’t clear if this was intentional or if his head had just rolled to the side awkwardly, and that’s a problem. When they did leave the stage, we worried that this would be a theme of the rest of the night. Fantastic tunes, a great sound, but if I wanted those, I’d listen on iTunes. We couldn’t imagine Architecture in Helsinki being so boring. Thankfully, we were right.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/32237537[/vimeo]

Architecture in Helsinki hails from the distant land of Australia; they came to North Carolina in search of Cheerwine, which they nostalgically spoke of on stage. They complimented us on our warm November weather. The band walked onto the stage void of emotion, stood there, and then jumped into a high energy, fun series of songs that had the audience dancing and smiling at the stage. Seeing Architecture in Helsinki live reminded Nicole of what an ‘80s new wave style concert would have been like two decades ago: a mix of B-52s, Talking Heads, and energy. The members all had their own distinct dance moves that were used throughout the show. The one woman in the band, Kellie Sutherland, was one of Nicole’s favorites to watch throughout the show. She wore an amazing jumpsuit and just gave her all on stage, creating dance moves and driving the energy through the roof.

Two favorites for the night were the band’s newer single “Contact High” and of course “Heart It Races,” their last song of the encore. You know you’ve hooked an audience when you come out for an encore and they begin chanting for a specific song. “Like It Or Not” and “Do The Whirlwind” brought some crazy dance moves on the dance floor as well. Overall, the show was a fantastic break from homework and gave us a second wave of energy that lasted until we got back to campus and decided to call it a night.

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Concert Review

Foreign tongues at the Cradle with Sophie Hunger and Tinariwen, 11/13/11

Scarcely before the ringing in my ears from Bombadil’s album release party could fade, I found myself back at Cat’s Cradle for something worlds away, both sonically and geographically.

Sophie Hunger was absolutely charming. The Sunday night crowd started out pretty far back from the stage, slowly trickling in and milling about, but by the end of her set she had coaxed more than a few to the front to better catch her heartfelt lyrics and genuine enthusiasm. Vocally she sounds a bit like Feist. They both have that soft, crooning quality in their voices, but Hunger proved she was no stranger to belting out a verse or two where necessary. She switched between singing in English, German and French fluidly and frequently, so I probably only caught a fraction of the lyrics, but I like to think the meaning still came through.

It’s hard to pin her sound down to a specific genre. She herself switched between guitar and piano throughout the set and was accompanied by Michael Flury (trombonist/box player/chest percussionist) and Christian Prader (flautist/guitarist/pianist). Some songs were folk in the best tradition of the genre, while others sounded of heavy jazz influences mixed in with who knows what else. Whatever the influences, it was all a pleasure to listen to. Her endearing solo acoustic “Sophie Hunger Blues” was the song that won me over, and I could tell I wasn’t the only one. The personal narrative, catchy melody and raw emotion she put into that song had the audience smiling and laughing in a big way.

From Swiss-born, European bred folk/jazz fusion we somehow made the transition to acoustic Saharan desert blues from former African rebels. For the uninitiated, Tiniariwen is a group from northern Mali made up of Touareg rebels. They received military training in Libya and fought for the rights of oppressed nomadic peoples in the Touareg rebellion. Sung in a Berber language called Tamashek, their songs carry the revolutionary message of the cause they fought for.

If you’re not intrigued yet, then I really just don’t know what to tell you.

Before they even came on stage there were enough guitars set up to comfortably field all of Broken Social Scene, plus a few percussion instruments whose origins I could only guess at. The band was all robes and cloth when they did come out, certainly looking the part of desert bluesmen. A few greetings in what sounded like French (why didn’t I take French?) and they were off. You might not think that dusty, Middle Eastern folk and blues would be that danceable, but it definitely is. The percussionist (playing either a hand drum or a large half-sphere gourd of some sort hit with his palms and two lighters) and bassist laid down a simple but irresistible groove that the rest of the band built on. To their credit, they kept the crowd fully engaged throughout the night. I’m pretty sure I even spotted whatever the slow moving, mid-to-late-thirties equivalent of a mosh pit would be, but folks were packed too tight for me to venture out and investigate further.

Tinariwen’s latest release, Tassili, has more of an acoustic sound to it, a departure from their previous albums which made extensive use of the electric guitar. The set drew heavily form the new album, but they broke out the ax for several numbers, including one of my absolute favorites, “Amassakoul ‘n’ Ténéré.”

Tinariwen has been gaining a fair amount of international attention recently. There’s even a track on Tassili featuring Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio fame. If you haven’t heard about them yet, you probably will soon. If you haven’t listened to them yet, go ahead and do yourself a favor. I love local music but there’s nothing like some African desert blues to broaden one’s musical horizons.

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Concert Review

Bombadil’s album release extravaganza at Cat’s Cradle, 11/12/11

I have discovered that in my later years (well, I’m only 21, but still) I have become more lazy and less inclined to ever leave Raleigh to do anything. Especially to do something that requires money, like go to a concert.

Add Bombadil to the picture and it changes things completely.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, Bombadil graced Cat’s Cradle with their album release party for All That The Rain Promises, the long awaited new album from this local band that is comprised of four very talented men: Bryan Rahija, Stuart Robinson, Daniel Michalak, and James Phillips. The show opened with local favorites Future Kings of Nowhere and Jay Kutchma and the Five Fifths, two groups that don’t play too much around the Triangle right now.

Seeing the lineup, I knew I had to get out of Raleigh for a night. So I filled up my gas tank, picked up some friends, and made my way to Carrboro after feasting on some delicious pre-Bombadil steak tacos cooked for us by Laser Beard, who also served as our photographer that night. We hoped to get to the Cradle early enough to get a rose, but arrived just a little too late. Instead we ate some cookies and milk (thanks Bombadil!) and moved toward the stage as Future Kings of Nowhere set up and tuned their instruments.

Future Kings of Nowhere was full of energy and a lot of fun. They played a selection which included new songs and started and ended with the crowd favorites “Let’s Be Pirates” and “10 Simple Murders.” I was really excited to see Jay Kutchma and the Five Fifths next. Red Collar always put on high energy shows and I was curious to see how Jay Kutchma would be without the rest of Red Collar. The excitement was for good reason. Kutchma’s stage presence was intense, the set starting with slower rock songs with a twang and building in energy until Kutchma was jumping up and down with his guitar accompanied by an enthusiastic Five Fifths. The bass player is the one who stuck out in my memory; he looked like he was having the time of his life on stage. Kutchma made sure to include powerful monologues as well, which is something that he has brought over from Red Collar. Overall, the opening bands were really fantastic and provided high energy that grew even higher while waiting for Bombadil to take the stage.

I can say without a doubt that everybody in the audience on Saturday night was truly excited for Bombadil to get on stage. The last time the band played was two months prior at Hopscotch Music Festival. The last time Bombadil played at Cat’s Cradle was December 2010, opening for the Avett Brothers at their surprise show. When a talented band like Bombadil does not play often, you know that when they do play it’s going to be a good time.

This was definitely the case for Saturday night. Wearing colorful embroidered and painted blazers, Bombadil opened the show with the old song “Jellybean Wine” which earned a huge cheer from the audience. They continued through a great mix of old and new songs with the audience giving wholehearted applause and the band grinning and thanking us for coming repeatedly throughout the night.

I think one of the best things about Bombadil is that the music they make is meaningful. After hearing bands play music that has no emotion or has no point, it is refreshing to listen to Bombadil and also to see a band that shares your excitement for being there. Highlights of the night included “Laundromat,” “I Will Wait,” “A Question,” “One Whole Year,” “The Pony Express,” and “Leather Belt” off of All That The Rain Promises and old songs like “Honeymoon,” “Oto the Bear,” “Marriage,” “Johnny,” “Three Saddest Words,” “Smile When You Kiss,” “So Many Ways To Die,” and “Cavaliers Har Hum.”

The band put on an amazing performance that the audience just didn’t want to end. Two encores later, the band had to ask the audience to stop cheering because they simply hadn’t prepared anything else to play. We certainly wore the band thin and I enjoyed every minute of Bombadil’s performance on Saturday night.

I only have one request for Bombadil: can we do it again?

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Concert Review

Constellations Festival Brings Some of Indie’s Best to Leeds

I think I picked the right place to study abroad.

Constellations Festival is relatively young, but that doesn’t keep the event from bringing in some of Indie’s finest acts. 2010’s festival included the likes of Broken Social Scene, Sleigh Bells, Local Natives, The Vaccines, and many other fantastic acts. With hopes high for this year, the festival returned to the University of Leeds Student Union on Nov. 12, and it brought acts including Yuck, Braids, The Big Pink, The Antlers, and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks.

One building, five different proper music venues, and nine hours of cramming in as much music as possible is a daunting task to say the least, and thankfully the folks planning this event allowed for seeing the majority of the largest names with ease. They could have easily planned the event in a way that makes more sense musically. This would include The Antlers opening for Wild Beasts, Yuck opening for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and Summer Camp opening for The Big Pink. Thankfully the large acts played back to back in the same venue with the periods in between sets long enough to pop over to another venue and catch the majority of another band’s show.

The culmination of these elements made for one hell of an afternoon and night filled with music, and below are some of the highlights.

Summer Camp

This was by far the biggest surprise of the night. I was amused by the sound of Summer Camp after my initial listen of their debut album Welcome to Condale, but I felt as if there was still much to be desired. Although I had my reservations about the group, they put on one of the most delightful performances of the festival. Their love of 80s nostalgia, although they are probably too young to remember the 80s, brought about a charm to the performance. Famous dance scenes from 80s films projected to a screen on stage alongside the upbeat pop duets with some real swing left me wanting to reevaluate my initial stance on their debut.

 

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

One of the most anticipated acts of the festival did exactly what they needed to do. Consistent throughout, Malkmus and company brought their a-game during their hour-long set. Playing mostly new tracks off of Mirror Traffic, they also revisited some of the earlier solo work from Malkmus. The act left me feeling satisfied and lived up to many of expectations I had.

Yuck

If you are a fan of Yuck’s self-titled debut, you need to see this band live. There are certain things that recorded songs cannot convey, and the sense of raw, distorted power is definitely one of them. The band had some initial technical hiccups after the mics cut out on them toward the end of their last song, and walked off as the stage crew came back on to get everything working properly. The band took it in stride. After walking back on stage frontman Daniel Blumber jokingly announced, “This is our longest encore ever.” The band mixed up their tracks much like in their album, going from one faster paced harder sound to one a bit more reserved. It was the track “Rubber” that stole the show. The 7-minute song provided a visceral listening experience that shook the ears and body to its distorted 90s rock core, something much better understood when experienced instead of described.

 

The Antlers

This band is easily one of the best in filling the room with their atmospheric sound, regardless of size. That’s exactly what they did on this night. Playing the best from their debut and their second album, The Antlers demonstrated how they are able to beautifully construct songs that in some moments lack vocals yet sound structured, and when the vocals kick in it provides a fine compliment to their rest of their truly gorgeous sound.

 

Wild Beasts

It was a bit of a homecoming for the band currently based in Leeds, and their set brought out the largest crowd of the entire night. The large room was packed to the ceiling as the band covered tracks from their entire discography, and the songs both slow and upbeat highlighted the best of the band. Like Yuck, Wild Beasts live proved just how incredibly powerful their vocals are. It felt like a somewhat surreal experience to hear these regular guys produce such operatic and captivating voices. All in all, they gave one of the best performance of the night ending what was already a fantastic day.


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Concert Review

Ra Ra Riot 10/28 at Cat’s Cradle

On Friday, Oct. 28, I had the pleasure of seeing Yellow Ostrich and Delicate Steve open for Ra Ra Riot.

Let me start off by saying I always love a band that takes sips of beer in between songs. The boys of Yellow Ostrich were delightfully playful, with front man Alex Schaaf charmingly interacting with the audience and willingly answering questions like “What is your favorite color?” (It’s red.) Not only that, but they were extremely talented. The songs ranged from garage rock grittiness to melancholic and haunting ballads, most of which included clever, not annoying, uses of looping. Schaaf passionately shredded on his guitar and drummer Michael Tapper beat the drums like they were someone he hated. However, it was bassist Jon Natchez who stole my heart. When Natchez was free of his duties as a bassist, he doubled as a full-blown brass band, playing the trombone and tenor sax with impeccable style and talent.

Following Yellow Ostrich, I had a feeling I was in for a good time with Delicate Steve when I saw the strobe lights come out. I am familiar with Delicate Steve’s music, and they have been climbing my “Most Played” list on iTunes throughout the year. The stage lights had been turned off, and one by one the members of the band arrived on stage, lit only from below by the aforementioned strobe lights. The minute Steve Marion and the band begin to play the appropriate “Welcome – Begin,” the audience knew it was time to dance. I felt like I was walking in on the Wild Rumpus, with the tribal-like percussion and Steve’s fancy fingers shredding on his treble-like guitar. It didn’t stop there, as Steve and his crew managed to keep the party going with upbeat jams like “Sugar Splash,” but still made time to showcase the band’s real talent with more melodic tunes (which are still very danceable). It was a phenomenal experience, one in which I will not miss out on if they come around again.

-Salt Water Jaffee

 

Ra Ra Riot returned to the Cradle in Carrboro with more dazzling dance songs. The newly-revamped Cradle provided almost twice the amount of dance space than in previous years, and most concert attendees took advantage of all the leg room! The six-piece band showed off their dynamic instrumental talents throughout their set, changing instruments and having different band members sing lead vocals. One of the best parts of Ra Ra Riot is their added twist on what could be average indie. Violinist Rebecca Zeller and electric cellist Alexandra Lawn were the most interesting to watch on stage because of their obvious passion for their instruments, and lulls in songs were spiced up with their luscious arrangements. Lead singer Wes Miles fed off the energy of the crowd thumping and dancing. He kept the crowd enthralled with his energy and vocals, which never seemed to miss a note. The New York band played their hits from their first CD, including “Ghost Under Rocks,” “Can You Tell,” and “Boy,” as well as others from The Rhumb Line. The band mixed in new songs from their second album The Orchard, such as “Shadowcasting.” Finishing off the night, Wes Miles told the audience we were a “special crowd,” and continued into the encore that left everyone dancing even after the music stop playing.

-Riff Raff