yesterday started off with a trip to sneaky dee’s to catch a performance of atlanta’s coathangers. i was welcomed by a free glass of rum and coke and the catchy, playful tunes of the all-female band just starting into their set. their songs are all pretty silly and irreverent, but that’s not to say that they shouldn’t be taken seriously; rather, their tightly-wound post-punk practically demands it—they screech and harp at some of the most mundane topics imaginable— making them all the more endearing when they yell “STOP STOMPIN’ AROUND!!!/ STOP STOMPIN’!!”
i then made my way to lee’s palace, where i remained for the rest of the evening. mika miko were the first to hit the stage, and to my surprise, were a fantastic live act. i didn’t have them pegged to be horrible, but i wasn’t sure what to expect either. they tore through their new songs with a raw sound only matched by early punk bands like the germs, and even threw in a great rendition of the ramones’ “commando,” which fit right in alongside their original material.
the dead science followed, and although they had a decent set, they were definitely not the right type of band to be playing at such a show. everyone else who performed that night played very reductive, almost primitive styles of rock, with the dead science leaning more towards art rock. no age certainly toy with atmospherics, but while many of their songs rely on the kind of noise also employed by bands like sonic youth and my bloody valentine, their song structures never drift far from the straightforward power-pop of bands like the nerves. what also hurt the dead science’s reception was their singer’s vocal performance. sounding like a cross between david bowie and brian molko doing their best to sing a show tune, sam mickens certainly intrigued, but he had poor projection, so it was often difficult to hear or understand him. given that their songs often took very cacophonous turns, it’s a shame his voice could not really compete. had he been able to sing over the racket, i think it would’ve made for a much more profound experience. i’ll definitely check out their recordings though, i think their music might lend itself better to that medium.
with the black lips’ cole alexander now watching from the side lines, no age started their set with the classic “everybody’s down” and proceeded to do what they do best: cause utter destruction. the audience responded in the only way they knew how: with a surge of energy that went unparalleled for the rest of the night. no age are great to see live because they pour so much of themselves into their performances that it’s hard to not want to return the same kind of exuberance. that night they also treated the audience to two new songs from their forthcoming EP— they sounded like standard no age fare, but i’ll reserve my judgements until after the EP is released.
the king khan and BBQ show were the “surprise” guests of the night, and played a similar set to that of the night before. this larger venue, however, was a much better setting for the band’s dirty, sexy garage rock and songs like “too much in love” and “fish fight” were obvious highlights. also, khan was covered in gold body paint this time.
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yesterday started off with a trip to sneaky dee’s to catch a performance of atlanta’s coathangers. i was welcomed by a free glass of rum and coke and the catchy, playful tunes of the all-female band just starting into their set. their songs are all pretty silly and irreverent, but that’s not to say that they shouldn’t be taken seriously; rather, their tightly-wound post-punk practically demands it—they screech and harp at some of the most mundane topics imaginable— making them all the more endearing when they yell “STOP STOMPIN’ AROUND!!!/ STOP STOMPIN’!!”
i then made my way to lee’s palace, where i remained for the rest of the evening. mika miko were the first to hit the stage, and to my surprise, were a fantastic live act. i didn’t have them pegged to be horrible, but i wasn’t sure what to expect either. they tore through their new songs with a raw sound only matched by early punk bands like the germs, and even threw in a great rendition of the ramones’ “commando,” which fit right in alongside their original material.
the dead science followed, and although they had a decent set, they were definitely not the right type of band to be playing at such a show. everyone else who performed that night played very reductive, almost primitive styles of rock, with the dead science leaning more towards art rock. no age certainly toy with atmospherics, but while many of their songs rely on the kind of noise also employed by bands like sonic youth and my bloody valentine, their song structures never drift far from the straightforward power-pop of bands like the nerves. what also hurt the dead science’s reception was their singer’s vocal performance. sounding like a cross between david bowie and brian molko doing their best to sing a show tune, sam mickens certainly intrigued, but he had poor projection, so it was often difficult to hear or understand him. given that their songs often took very cacophonous turns, it’s a shame his voice could not really compete. had he been able to sing over the racket, i think it would’ve made for a much more profound experience. i’ll definitely check out their recordings though, i think their music might lend itself better to that medium.
with the black lips’ cole alexander now watching from the side lines, no age started their set with the classic “everybody’s down” and proceeded to do what they do best: cause utter destruction. the audience responded in the only way they knew how: with a surge of energy that went unparalleled for the rest of the night. no age are great to see live because they pour so much of themselves into their performances that it’s hard to not want to return the same kind of exuberance. that night they also treated the audience to two new songs from their forthcoming EP— they sounded like standard no age fare, but i’ll reserve my judgements until after the EP is released.
the king khan and BBQ show were the “surprise” guests of the night, and played a similar set to that of the night before. this larger venue, however, was a much better setting for the band’s dirty, sexy garage rock and songs like “too much in love” and “fish fight” were obvious highlights. also, khan was covered in gold body paint this time.
Filed under: Concert Review , 2009, king khan and BBQ show, lee's palace, mika miko, no age, north by north east, NXNE, sneaky dee's, the coathangers, the dead science, toronto
