I knew that I was going to like the Russian Circles set when the venue
manager walked outside and commented that "the first band is in there
blowing out people's ears." I love when the opener rolls out and
commands attention because you can't hear yourself think in order to ignore
them and in my opinion that's how you get it done! After the trio's 30
minute set a number of people were buzzing about them in the crowd and it
was clear that I wasn't the only one who had enjoyed a nice block of
instrumental joy.
I don't get The Velvet Teen. A couple of months ago when I saw that
they were going to be an opener on the tour I took some time to explore
their catalog and in all honesty it just wasn't for me. If you know me
and how I generally will find something to like in everything then this is
obviously kind of strange but in any case I blew it off with the mindset
that they were the type of band that just needs to be seen live. Well
now I have seen them live and I still don't get it. The band is a trio
and while the bassist and drummer seem like respectable people the front man
could not of done more to grate my nerves. It is hard to decide if it
was his spastic movement, awkward comments, or megaphone wailing. I
realize that he was trying to get the crowd's energy up but I tend to think
that coming out and doing something that makes people want to pay
attention is generally better then coming out and screaming for it, I mean
it worked for Russian Circles.
I will be perfectly honest here and say that this was the performance that I
was looking forward to the most. Fortunately P.O.S. (Stef) and DJ
Turbo Nemesis did not disappoint and I can't wait until they tour through
the area again. It was a joy to watch how Stef works a crowd and it is
amazing how he can just pull people in make them pay attention. The
best part is that he knows that is what he is doing, for instance
when he came out he said "if you don't like rap go sit in the back of the
room" and then during the middle of the show he just paused, pointed to the
back and yelled out "I see you back there trying not to like me."
Performing a mix of songs from Ipecac Neat and Audition the
two guys had hands up in the air and smiles on the faces of everyone in the
place and I think that you should get out to see them them if you can.
If you do see Stef and Turbo take a moment to chat with Stef as he is
incredibly nice and sincere, on the other hand DO NOT challenge him to a
Thumb Wrestling Contest because you will lose. Trust me on that one,
he looks like he isn't paying attention but he will OWN you.
I first saw Minus The Bear earlier this year at the Suicide Squeeze Showcase
at SXSW, their set was only about 40-45 minutes and it left me wanting to
hear more from their catalog. Well I got what I wished for last night
as the band played a balanced set from all of their releases and they even
threw in a couple of new songs. As for the new songs I am not sure
when the guys are planning to release a new album, I know the remix disc is
due out at the beginning of the year, but I can't wait for it because at
this point it sounds as if it will no doubt be another stellar effort.
Outside of the one guy who kept yelling "Houston, Texas" the crowd was
pretty calm and completely into every part of the band's set. The guys
played about an hour and then left the stage for a couple of minutes before
returning to play a couple of songs before closing with Pachuca Sunrise,
which is stunning live. All in all it was a great performance and I
highly recommend that you get out to see these guys as soon as possible,
they really know how to put on a show.
-
John Laird -
|
