|
Written by Nicole Steinberg
|
|
Wednesday, 01 November 2006 |
|
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.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by kingpinphoto
|
|
Sunday, 29 October 2006 |
|
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
|
|
|
Written by Nicole Steinberg
|
|
Monday, 23 October 2006 |
|
Ah, New Jersey. Land where few dare to tread. Sarah and I had considered skipping our date with Goldfrapp last Wednesday to see Mr. Beck Hansen at the Theater at Madison Square Garden (we probably should have; despite a good performance by the band, the show was dismal overall), but decided against it when it turned out tickets were over seventy bucks a pop with fees. Then he announced another show in Jersey City this weekend and with tickets nearly half the cost of the NYC show, we figured, why not? We’re young and fearless. And here’s some things we discovered: 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.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Written by Christine Banks
|
|
Sunday, 22 October 2006 |
|
This was, without a doubt, one of the best shows I've been to all year. Period.
|
|
|
Written by Nicole Steinberg
|
|
Thursday, 12 October 2006 |
|
There's not many things better in life than a Basement Jaxx show. It's just a week shy of five years since the last time I saw the Jaxx, and although this performance was a bit more low-key in comparison (I seem to remember confetti and feathers and hula hoops, though it was kind of a crazy night, so who knows), the sheer amount of energy brought to the Webster Hall crowd did not stagnate or falter. I could see Felix Buxton, Simon Ratcliffe, and co. over and over again, and I would never get bored. I'd probably burn lots of calories with all the dancing, too. It was a truly badass time up in Webster, with an audience that was there in full force to see the duo from London, including people like myself and Sarah, who were meant to see them Tuesday night. That show was cancelled due to "scheduling conflicts," which means they weren't selling enough tickets. And it's a goddamn shame. Who wouldn't want to see these guys live? Their set is one showstopper after another, sheer extravagance defined. Felix and Simon performed with an arsenal of talent, including five sassy vocalists who somehow pulled off outfits ranging from jumpsuits to cheerleader uniforms to Queen Amidala-esque gowns with large, protuding collars. Also accompanying the boys was the swaying, dancing brass section, a trio dressed in kilts for the occasion, and a reggae vocalist who emerged during "Jump and Shout" (one of the best numbers of the evening-- it had the whole place in an absolute frenzy) with Jamaican and British flags draped over his back as a cape. So yeah, no hula hoops, but the flair for the dramatic carried over nicely.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next > End >>
|
| Results 55 - 63 of 72 |
