Category: Concert Review

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Concert Review

Givers Give Fans a Night of Dancing

Monday night at Kings Barcade, Givers visited Raleigh with two special guests, hometown friends imagineIAM and Michigan-based Lord Huron.

imagineIAM has a very unique sound – big on drums and everything you can do with them. This was their first tour, so the crowd and other performers that night joined in on the excitement.

Lord Huron joined the stage next. They mixed indie pop with folk elements, creating an interesting sound. I hadn’t heard of them before, but it’s a band I would love to revisit. With ukuleles, guitars, shakers and drums, the band’s last song was fitting – “When Will I See You Again.”

Givers took the stage around 11p.m. Their first full-length studio album, “In Light,” was released June 2011. I fell in love

 with the 51-minute album immediately. When I heard they were coming to Raleigh I couldn’t wait. The indie pop band from Lafayette, Louisiana is a five-piece that plays about twice that number of instruments on stage. Tiffany Lamson banged on drums with a uke on her back and dabbling with a fringe-laced xylophone on some songs. Taylor Guarisco, the other main vocalist, danced spaztically around on stage, jumping, kicking, and shaking his booty. The band had great

 chemistry – they joked around with each other during and between their upbeat songs. Everything sounded just as good, if not better, than the recordings on the album. The vocals were amazing, and seeing how the music was made was something I wasn’t expecting. Drummer and vocalist Kirby Campbell kept complex and interesting beats all night, Nick Stephan switched instruments every few songs (flute, saxophone, keyboard), and bassist and guitarist Josh LeBlanc danced around alternating between the two.

 

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Concert Review

Arctic Monkeys return to Raleigh with Smith Westerns

English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys returned to Raleigh tonight, Oct. 12, and performed at Disco Rodeo. The band visited the venue April 2010, but this year brought along Smith Westerns to open.

Chicago-based Smith Westerns released their sophomore album earlier this year. Since then, they have played with TV on the Radio, Cults and Yeasayer,  in addition to international festivals including Austin City Limits Music Festival, Fyf Fest, Leeds Festival, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. The guys were dressed like they were straight out of “Dazed and Confused,” and the smiley face-patterned banners behind them just reinforced this thought. They were fun – I sang along and danced. Their hair flew in their face as they strummed popular singles like “Weekend,” “Smile” and “Still New.”

During the 30-minute set change, I scanned the crowd. Unfortunately, this took away a lot from the show. I was behind a young fist-pumping boy and constantly trying to hold on to my standing room, only with mild success as chains of high schoolers tried to squeeze by. The musically-oblivious bystanders seemed to give more applause at times for the roadies doing soundcheck than the Smith Westerns received, but that may have been in my head.

 

A hooded figure in a golden mask finally came out on stage and hit notes on a keyboard to set the mood for the show. The lights reflected gold beams off the mask into the crowd. The rest of the band came out on stage and began their first song with a blast of energy and great reaction from the crowd. One thing I instantly picked up one is that an Arctic Monkeys show’s core is the strobe light – which is amazing, unless you have epilepsy. Luckily I do not, so I could stay. A bit theatrical at times, the band performed with special effects like lights, flashes and smoke. One of my personal favorite moments is when they paired a past-picking guitar riff with an intense strobe-light-only light show. It created the illusion that electricity was coming from Alex Turner and his guitar and filling the room. The crowd went especially crazy for “Fluorescent Adolescent” and “Brick by Brick.” At about 10:15, they played their “last song” and went off stage while the crowd chanted their name and screamed with approval of the show.

 

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Concert Review

Thou, Make, and The Proselyte, 10/12/11

On Monday, Oct. 12 at King’s Barcade, Make, The Proselyte and Thou played an excellent show. Put on by Primitive Ways this show was heavier than any other that has come through Raleigh in a while.

Show Flyer (L. Greenwood)

Make

Hailing from Chapel Hill, Make was a great opener for this show. Heavy, sludgy doom that had a bold psychedelic flavor; Make produces some very excellent metal. Support local music and check these guys out here: Make

Bass

Drums

Guitar

The Proselyte

A nice addition from Cambridge, Mass., The Proselyte bridged the psychedelic feel of the show to a strangely happy yet still dark feeling. These guys brought some great metal to Raleigh, and it was very enjoyable to watch. I’ve never seen a drummer sing and drum so quickly. A very excellent band; both of their releases have been highly rated (Sunshine (2011) and The Proselyte (2007)). Check them here: The Proselyte.

Bass

Drums, Guitar, Bass

Vocals, Drums, woaaahhh duuude.

Vocals, Guitar

Thou

Holy Dio. This is probably one of my favorite bands that I have seen in 2011. Coming up from Louisiana, these guys played on the floor and had one of the most energetic shows I’ve been to in awhile. I couldn’t get many pictures so you’re just going to have to regret not getting your eardrums covered in the sludgy, heavy goodness that is Thou. This five piece really blew me away with their show. I must admit two things helped; one, their excellent blog that allowed me to download their music and two, they played a kick-ass cover of Black Sabbaths Into the Void. Gnarly, dude.

Thou

Thou 2

Overall, as I have previously stated, this was and probably will be one of my favorite shows of 2011. It was heavy and covered in slimy, doom-y sludge. Good job to Primitive Ways for really knowing how to book a good lineup and to the bands, Make, The Proselyte and Thou, for giving Raleigh an excellent Monday night.

-It

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Concert Review

Minus Sound Research Opening Reception, 10/7/11

On Friday, Oct. 7, I made my way up to Motorco Music Hall in Durham for the opening reception of Minus Sound Research. I’ve never been to MSR or Motorco before (actually, this was my first show for WKNC, hooray!) so I had no idea what to expect. MSR is an annual art exhibition featuring artwork by local musicians. It started in 2006, and different artists are featured every year. The art shown is specifically created for MSR, so each year is a unique experience.

After making my way through the parking lot that was I-40, I finally got to the show. People were milling around outside drinking beer, playing foosball, and eating food from the food trucks outside. Inside the building, which looks like it used to be a car garage, people were checking out the artwork on the walls and watching two women perform some sort of slow-motion body art. It was interesting, and received a few skeptical looks from the crowd.

Unfortunately, I got to the show so late that I completely missed Inspector 22, the first singer to perform. Birds and Arrows started playing at about 7:30 p.m., and although the acoustics weren’t that great, people were really enjoying their music. The lead singer, Andrea Connolly, had a voice that could sing softly in one line and powerfully in the next. Her husband (who I could totally tell was her husband, even before she introduced him to the crowd, because they had such great chemistry on stage), Pete Connolly, joined in for backups and harmony. What really made them stand out was the cello player, Josh Starmer, who added a lot of depth to their music. Throughout their set Andrea made eye contact with the audience and was all smiles; you could tell they loved being on stage.

There were other artists performing afterward, but I unfortunately had to leave early.

The MSR exhibit runs until Dec. 3, and even though it’s a small collection, I would check it out if you’re in Durham.

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Concert Review

Das Racist, Danny Brown, Despot at Lincoln Theatre, 10/4/11

The night started off slowly at Lincoln Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Greeted by the musical stylings of Insane Clown Posse and a technicolor beach scene emblazoned with the mandate “RELAX,” the pockets of young folk scattered throughout the venue seemed unsure of how to proceed. From the chatter, I gleaned that most knew at least one of the acts was but few knew all three, myself included.

A fairly short, red-headed man with a wholly acceptable beard took the stage in the form of Despot just after 9 p.m. to the crowd’s mild interest. People pushed forward a bit. There were some heads nodding and a few brave souls mouthed lyrics but everyone else was still waiting for the show to start.

I had never seen Despot perform before and I thought he had a good presence on stage. He came across as a little spaced out at times, but his delivery was clean and he was genuinely funny between songs. At one point he set his mic down and attempted to lead the crowd in some light aerobics, which I felt was a refreshing change of pace from the usual hands-in-the-air nonsense. Near the end of his set he announced: “This next song was written in a remote cabin in your state during a schizophrenic freak out. You should be proud!”

Danny Brown was clearly more of a crowd favorite. He and rapper friend/acting hype-man Dopehead (who seemed to be doing his level best to eat the microphone while he was rapping) got those proverbial hands in the air with nonchalant delivery and more bass than the audience knew what to do with. Brown himself was all swinging arms and shrugging shoulders bound up in the best exotic fish Hawaiian shirt I’ve seen in a while. He was obviously enjoying himself, so I had no problem following suit.

Next up: Das Racist. The joke rap/weed rap/whatever rap trio was obviously who everyone was waiting for. Suddenly Lincoln Theatre seemed a lot more crowded. Maybe not Hopscotch crowded, but space was definitely at a premium within spitting distance of the stage.

Heems started off by claiming that they were Skrillex and introducing almost every song as “another dubstep banger.” Their set drew pretty heavily from the group’s first non-mixtape release, Relax, but there were quite a few classics sprinkled in (notably, “You Oughta Know,” “Rapping 2 U,” and “Who’s That? Brooown!”). Lakutis, who had been DJing/cuing music and samples via laptop for all three acts, even took up a mic to perform a song from his own upcoming release.

 

At one point the audience was asked to throw any old non-smart phones they had onto the stage. Someone actually threw an old flip phone up and Kool A.D. proceeded to call that person’s mother and rap his verse to her in the next song.

Danny Brown and Despot came back out for an all-star rendition of “Power” near the end of the set. Kool A.D. took a few stage dives. Lakutis triggered that air horn sample (you know the one) a few hundred more times. It was a fun set. I caught up with Dapwell after the show for a few minutes in which I told him that Atlanta was a 30-hour flight from Raleigh and he told me about a new auto-tune pedal they’re going to work into the set. I borrowed Heems’ charger when my phone died and he didn’t really mind.

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Concert Review

tUnE-yArDs and Pat Jordache at Cat’s Cradle, 10/5/2011

On Oct. 5 I had the pleasure—nay, the honor—of seeing the amazingly eccentric and talented experimental freak folk band tUnE-yArDs with opening act Pat Jordache at Cat’s Cradle. I was so excited about this show that I got there an hour and a half early with fellow DJ Salt Water Jaffee and ran to the stage to post up front and center so I could be as close as possible to my queen, my goddess, Merrill Garbus.

I was a little apprehensive when the first person to come on stage for Pat Jordache was a man who was all ribs and muscle in nothing but a pair of overalls and gold chains: no shirt or shoes. He sat down behind the 10+ drum set and began playing. His talent and obvious passion for banging stuff blew my mind. A few seconds later the second drummer came out and began beating the crap out of a tom tom and a snare. Then out came the guitarist, crutching along with a hurt foot. Jordache, front man/bassist/keyboard extraordinaire with a haircut not grown in the U.S., was the last to appear and began to serenade us with his deep, throaty cooing against heavily present bass, brain rattling drums, and airy guitar. The band is kind of New Wave, somewhere between Joy Division and Fleet Foxes.

Jordache was the perfect warm-up act for the insanity that arose when Garbus stepped on stage with her painted cronies in color blocked clothing.

If you’ve never heard of tUnE-yArDs, you’re missing out. It is everything I’ve ever asked for from the music gods: powerful, loud, tribal, catchy, sexual, dance-y, eccentric, and a downright good time. The band is most famous for live vocal and percussion looping, strong melodies, and Garbus’ insanely African-influenced singing style and inhumanly wide vocal range. I melted into the monitor I was leaning against out of sheer amazement when she hit her high notes in the song “Powa.” Such a loud and powerful sound is strange coming from Garbus, the close-to-five-feet-tall howling singer with half of her head shaved and colorful paint on her face. She was constant smiles and giggles with a few funny faces thrown in.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the show was not how much fun I and the rest of the audience were having as we “worked it out on the dance floor” (Garbus herself commented on how insane the crowd was), but how much fun the band was having. While Garbus was cheerily strumming on her be-stickered ukulele, the two saxophone players jumped around banging pots and pans and danced like hunchbacks at a disco. The bassist was the epitome of cool on the opposite side of the stage, bopping along and slapping his bass. But when he stepped up to the microphone for a bit of a vocal solo, the crowd went nuts, which shows the love the fans hold for tUnE-yArDs is not just rooted in the front woman, as is commonly the case, but in every single member that contributes to the masterpieces that are every song they release.

Throughout the show I noticed that almost all of my fellow audience members new the words to every song she played. It wasn’t a case of everyone knowing the words to “Gangsta” or “Bizness” but not “You Ves You” or “My Country.” I can honestly say that this is the first show I’ve been to where the people that were there truly wanted to be there more than anything else in the world. I’m sure they will agree with me when I say that this concert was not just another show; it was a spiritual experience.

~Hurricane Julia

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Concert Review

Male Bonding rock the Brudenell Social Club

Consider this an introduction, partly because many of you may have never visited nor even heard of the lovely Brudenell Social Club. The main reason for this is because it is in Leeds, England, where I, DJ Ones, am currently stationed for my year on exchange. I found myself looking for great music clubs in this fine city and stumbled across the Brudenell Social Club, where I learned that KNC favorite  Megafaun had played a handful of days before my arrival in the U.K. When I heard that Male Bonding would be playing a couple of days later on Oct. 1, I grabbed a new friend with a funny accent and headed over to the Brudenell.

After the doors opened at 7:30 p.m. and four local bands played with mixed reactions from the crowd, Male Bonding finally took the stage in this modestly-sized baseball field-shaped club.

Coming off of the release of their new, cleaner sounding album Endless Now I wondered how their new material would translate to the scruffy sound of their live shows. The show itself highlighted the best of this relatively new band’s already impressive two albums. A mixture of sounds from their previous two records leaned towards the fulfilling and more abrasive rock sound of their debut Nothing Hurts. This combined with the scrappy tracks of their debut produced a cohesive and enjoyable rock experience.

About halfway through the set I realized what was at the heart of some of their best material: the percussion section. From the visceral bass introduction to songs like “Weird Feelings” to the faster drums of “Year’s Not Long,” the sound came across with both style and substance. Fast-paced, upbeat, and to the point, Male Bonding put on one hell of a live show filled with few breaks and constant excitement.

It was with the last song, “Year’s Not Long,” that ended the night on a high note. Male Bonding provided a set full of controlled chaos: a fine balance of frantic instrumentals and cohesive songwriting. The sound in the Brudenell was great, Male Bonding was a bottle of energy, and their set was satisfying and memorable as a first for myself in the U.K.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/12024458[/vimeo]

 

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Concert Review

The Joy Formidable & Fang Island at Cat’s Cradle, 9/28/11

The poetic guitar riffs of Fang Island resonated through the air and walls of Cat’s Cradle as we (Da Bear, Hot Tamale, MayDay, and Sarahnade) rolled up to the club. The energy of Fang Island was contagious, as the crowd danced and continuously banged their heads. Fang Island consists of three electric guitar players, a drummer, and bassist. Their skill on guitar was evident as they passed the lead lines from player to player, each player equally capable of shredding on guitar at incredible rates. The crowd responded most vehemently when the band broke out into their song “Daisy.” They were a great opening band to prepare the crowd for The Joy Formidable.

The Joy Formidable, hailing from Wales, contains only three members but their stage presence and performance was not indicative of this basic setup. The front woman, lead vocal, and electric guitar, Ritzy Bryan, was seemingly innocent and coy when not playing but turned into a fierce and erratic musician upon the start of the first song. With wide eyes she communicated intensity to the crowd. Their music was surprisingly thick and layered for a three-person band. It was all encompassing but not overwhelming.

The largest reaction from the crowd came during “The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade.” They continuously made strong efforts to connect with the audience and were very appreciative of the support given. The concert gained momentum throughout and finally climaxed during the last song in a whirl of energy including thrown drum sticks, distorted guitars, and a semi-destroyed stage. The crowd brought them back on for an incredible encore of one last 10-minute song. When finished the band and crowd seemed truly exhausted and satisfied by the inconceivable performance.


Da Bear, Hot Tamale

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Concert Review

My Whole Love of Wilco

First, Nick Lowe is cool.  As Jeff Tweedy said when Lowe came out to accompany Wilco for two songs (including one of his own), “It’s okay to like Nick Lowe.”  He was a perfect opener.  He played solo, just him and his pretty, old Hummingbird.  Sure, this is the guy that people mostly (if not only) know for “Cruel to Be Kind,” and that seemed to be the main criticism of him I was hearing.  But I scoffed at these doubters – these fools would doubt anyone that Wilco choose to play with them.  His guitaring was smooth, his lyrics were smart, and he was cool.  Supreme.

Now, Wilco.  "Who’s your favorite band" can be a pesky question if you don’t have a ready answer.  Wilco’s been mine since early high school.  This span of favoritism has included weeks without their music and days of listening only to them, but even when I’m not listening to Wilco I know that I’d like to be.  With 75 of their songs on my iTunes, adding up to more than five hours and 19 albums (and EPs, Singles, Compilations, etc.), they surely outnumber any other artist.  (This doesn’t even include Loose Fur or any other side projects.)  Plenty of their 4+ minute songs have over 30 plays, and the star ratings… plentiful.  I love them.

So, hooray for Raleigh.  We hosted Wilco’s new album (The Whole Love) release party, and we got a shout-out for housing their merchandiser, Kung Fu Nation. Many of my Wilco-friends thought The Whole Love has restored their faith in the band, and it’s their favorite album since (blablabla yadayadayada), etc.  Yes, the new album kicks ass, but for me, so do the old albums–all of them.  Songs from their Wilco album already feel like classics, and hell, so do half the songs from their newest album.  They proved their range of greatness with a killer set and a magnificent encore.  There’s nothing like knowing every song.  This is their set list as recorded by me (comment corrections if necessary):

1. Art of Almost

2. I Might

3. Rising Red Lung

4. Ashes of American Flags

5. Bull Black Nova

6. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart

7. One Wing

8. Dawned On Me

9. Born Alone

10. Impossible Germany

11. Say You Miss Me

12. Whole Love

13. Pot Kettle Black

14. Handshake Drugs

15. War on War

16. Black Moon

17. One Sunday Morning

Encore

Shot In The Arm

Jesus, Etc.

36 Inches High (Song by Nick Lowe, with Nick Lowe)

I Love My Label (with Nick Lowe)

Red-Eyed and Blue

Walkin’

I’m The Man Who Loves You

One hell of a night.  Tweedy called it out himself.  Honestly, though… it could’ve been a little louder (and I had great, close seats).  I’ll be glad to see them as many times as I can.  They produce a poster for every single concert they put on.  If that’s not some indication for how much they care about their shows, I’m not sure what is.  You can always count on bits of Tweedy’s character in between songs. This evening was not filled with rants between each song, but there were a few gems to prove how personable he can be (plAAAtinum).

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Concert Review

Fleet Foxes at Raleigh Amphitheater, 9/21/11

What to say about the Fleet Foxes concert? I don’t think I have ever been that wet in my entire life. There was a torrential downpour the entire concert, or what there was of a concert.

I arrived at the Raleigh Amphitheater toward the end of The Walkmen, the opening act. At this point the rain was fairly mild and I had a rain jacket and a towel so I was prepared. By the time Fleet Foxes started, the downpour began. They began by playing songs from their new album, Helplessness Blues. The rain made for a unique atmosphere. People wearing trash bags, people without shirts or shoes. Everyone was soaked. But people made the most of it, and at one point there was a parade of fans dancing and singing through the venue in the rain.

I enjoy all of Fleet Foxes’ albums but I have a special connection to their self titled album, so when they started playing songs from that one I was in bliss. They played “Your Protector” and “Ragged Wood.”  Then suddenly, in the middle of “Ragged Wood” a speaker blew out. Fleet Foxes tried to continue playing but they had to stop. Then they said they had to take a break until the storm passed. So in the downpour we waited in limbo, not knowing whether the storm was going to pass at all. At that point, my rain jacket and dress were soaked through and I was dripping water. The storm started to get the best out of some people and fans began to gradually trickle out. My friends and I were stubborn and did not want to be defeated by Mother Nature, so us and other fans just stood in the rain hoping it would let up so we could hear some Fleet Foxes.

Fleet Foxes had to cover up all their equipment and were also just standing on the side of the stage hoping the storm would pass. After a while, the rain let up but they announced that they had to wait for the lightning to stop in order to play. Looking up at the sky I saw that there was lightning every five seconds or so, so it did not seem hopeful. A tech guy then came up to a microphone and stated that another storm was coming so Fleet Foxes would not be able to play again. The lead singer of Fleet Foxes then came onto the microphone and explained that they were sorry and if they could play, they would. He also complimented us Raleigh fans on being awesome for standing through the storm. He claimed they would try to make it back to Raleigh soon, and he sounded sincere.

Later on their Twitter they wrote “Raleigh: you were the most amazing audience we’ve ever had the honor to hang with, sticking it out in that crazy storm tonight.” And “Seeing you people in Raleigh tonight made me more proud to be a part of this than any other thing we’ve done. #thankyou #fucknature”

So in the end, the Fleet Foxes concert was definitely an experience, although the experience didn’t include as much music as I had hoped for.