Big Ups at Shea Stadium

Well, that's what I get for shooting in color at Shea Stadium. I took an all-male punk band and turned them pink. It looks... cute.

So what do Big Ups sound like? I would say they are somewhere between the Circle Jerks and Henry Rollins. They're not as funny as the former or as long-winded as the latter, but they have that same talk-then-rock style. They also have a penchant for climbing up on the drum kit. I think the only person who didn't climb up there was the drummer.

Posted: 6/17/2013 at 9:00pm     Tags: Big Ups  Northside Festival  Shea Stadium 

Lust For Youth at Saint Vitus

Some bands definitely aren't about the visuals and Lust For Youth is definitely one of them. Of course a lot of electronic bands are like that, just sort of standing there and playing. You have to stay near your equipment if it's too big to carry around!

Lust For Youth take a different tack than the electronic bands I usually hear. Instead of a stage full of gizmos generating overlapping noises and just generally making a mess of things they use a smaller set to create actual music. Melody is key, and the melodies are actually catchy too. Meanwhile electronic trickery such as sampling lines from a movie or random sound effects is pretty much limited to transitions between songs. Lead singer Hannes Norrvide has a distinctive, speak-wailing sort of singing style, but the important thing is that you can actually hear him sing. They seem like they could just as easily be a three or four-piece band with standard instruments (a la Monogold) but for whatever reason happened to go the electronic route.

Lust For Youth's sound has to be called melancholy if only because of the singing style. It suggests of longing, of unrequited passions and unfulfilled desires. Yet their sound is also a little bit uplifting. The longing will not be forever, the desires can be survived or maybe even appreciated. The overall mood kind of reminds me of The Cure: morose but not irrevocably so, seeing the beauty in the ashes if you will. And yes, you can dance to it. This isn't the kind of music I personally want to hear all the time (not a big electronic music fan) but it is intriguing and well worth a listen every now and again.

Posted: 6/15/2013 at 5:30pm     Tags: Lust For Youth  Northside Festival  Saint Vitus 

Livids at Bowery Electric

I can't say that I'm a fan of the lighting at The Bowery Electric, but I am always a fan of good dental hygiene. And also of Livids, who are awesome.

Posted: 6/14/2013 at 7:40pm     Tags: Bowery Electric  Livids 

The Oblivians at Beekman Beer Garden

Do I really need to review The Oblivians? They still sound great and that is pretty much all I needed to know (aside from when and where is their next gig).

Posted: 6/8/2013 at 9:39pm     Tags: Beekman Beer Garden  Seaport Music Festival  The Oblivians 

Ex-Cult at Beekman Beer Garden

I had no idea the lighting at Beekman was this good. Aside from Ex-Cult's guitarist on stage right, the one who looks like my brother-in-law with sideburns (true story), these folks really looked like they were at a major venue. The sound was great too. The torrential rains tearing apart the tend which was the only thing protecting us all from death by electrocution? Just keepin' it real.

Jokes aside, I completely forgot about the rain once Ex-Cult started playing. They're a total blast. Garage-rock which isn't too sloppy but still has lots of rock-n-roll energy. Great stuff!

Posted: 6/8/2013 at 5:11pm     Tags: Beekman Beer Garden  Ex-Cult  Seaport Music Festival