Protomartyr at Underground Arts
Somehow I hadn't taken any photos at Underground Arts until now. I do not know why. This place has great lighting, though getting trapped on stage left probably didn't help me any at this particular show.
Protomartyr were, as always, incredible. Joe Casey is the voice of modern paranoia, the instruments sound industrial without sounding like Industial Music, and the result is intense as hell. Once again, I'm very glad I got over my initial meh-ness regarding this band. They are awesome.
Posted: 11/20/2021 at 2:30pm Tags: Protomartyr Underground Arts
Protomartyr at Metro Gallery
I haven't commented on too many of these postings lately but I have to say a few things here. First of all yes, Metro Gallery is in Baltimore. Since the MARC train started running on weekends I've been to Baltimore a few times and I'm going to start covering shows there occasionally.
Now as for Protomartyr, they're from Detroit but their lead singer is a Jay Cutler impersonator. How odd!
It took me a while to get into Protomartyr. The important thing to understand is that you have to catch them live and watch the whole set. They start out demure, even sleepy. You may notice a lot of closed eyes in the first few shorts -- those eyes are accurate. But the intensity builds as the set goes on. First they get the crown into a rhythm and then once they've got 'em on their wavelength they ratchet up the amplitude. It's a rare style for a "punk" band, maybe not to everyone's taste, but I'm telling you it works.
Posted: 10/18/2015 at 6:00pm Tags: Baltimore Metro Gallery Protomartyr
