AXIS|OF|LIVE

New Yorkers love their homegrown heroes, and they’re always bound to come out in droves to show their support when said heroes come home for a visit. The crowd was thin at the start of the sold-out show featuring The Rapture and Sydney electro duo The Presets, but it filled up quickly. At one point, it seemed as if the place was empty, and then a while later, I looked up again, and there were people everywhere, not only on the main floor, but all along the balcony as well. From guys in scary latex masks to shrieking droves of groupies, everyone was excited that the boys were back in town.

On the eve of CMJ 2006, this was a pretty no frills sort of show; the flyer at the entrance of the venue read simply, “9:00 - The Presets, 10:00 - The Rapture,” and the evening didn’t stray far from this plan. The biggest surprise of the night was the great opening set by The Presets, who are touring the States with The Rapture to support their 2005 LP Beams, a mostly hit or miss sort of album, though a very enjoyable first effort. In person, however, they’re all business. Singer Julian Hamilton claimed they were there to “warm up the crowd” for the headliner, but they went above and beyond, getting the crowd really into their music. Julian entertained us with spazzy dances and happy banter, while drummer Kimberley Moyes mainly kept a low profile. He sat at his drum kit until the last few numbers and then when he stood, I was amazed at how thin his lower body was in comparison to his broad shoulders. Dude has skinny legs! Chopstick legs! He gave us a few dance moves, too. It’s amazing how awkward guys can make such awesome music. The pair began the set with “Girl (You Chew My Mind Up,” and plowed through most of the better tracks from their album, ending on a brilliant mash-up of “Down Down Down” and “I Go Hard, I Go Home,” the two best songs on Beams. Aside from an overly long and repetitive song in the middle of their set that dragged the energy down somewhat, they were very impressive. They got big cheers when they left the stage, cheers that were well-deserved. They’re definitely a group that needs to be seen live in order to be truly appreciated. Beams doesn’t even hold half the energy that this performance did.

Girl Talk was guest artist at the Bliss Dance party at Black Cat in DC last night. I’ve never seen anything like it. Gregg Gillis mashed up snippets of pop tracks on his laptop while dancing and working the crowd. He ended the set with a cover of Nirvanas Scentless Apprentice and climbed up on to the table holding his laptop and dove into the crowd. The pictures only tell half of the story. Check out the tunes here- Girl Talk For more pix from the evening look here- Caughtintheflash.com

1) The PATH train costs less than a single NYC subway ride
2) You can buy liquor at the deli next to the train station in Jersey City
3) Loew’s Landmark Theater = $1 soda! $2 candy and popcorn! $1 bottles of water!
4) Beck = still awesome (despite the scientology!)

Loew’s Landmark Theater was very easy to find once we emerged from the train station, with due thanks to the young man standing outside and holding a sign that read “BECK” with an arrow pointing to the left. We wondered if he was getting paid to do that, or if he was steering the crowds out of the kindness of his heart. The theater is absolutely gorgeous, a remnant of the earlier half of the twentieth century, with a lavish interior to match the exterior. And much to our surprise, drinks and candy were cheap as hell. Sarah snagged a box of popcorn and I bought a Diet Coke, and we scurried to our seats, near the wall at the halfway point of the orchestra. Not too shabby of a view, though it was obscured somewhat once the other people in front of us arrived. That’s always a bummer.

This was, without a doubt, one of the best shows I've been to all year. Period.