!!! at the Metro

March 23, Carolina and I headed to the Metro to see !!! live without any real expectations of what their live set would look like. Seemingly nothing more than a dance and funk outfit, the possibility of an all-out 2-hour dance marathon appeared most likely. But at the end of the night, the crowd was a stew of b.o., junkies, and stripping. Oh, and Jeff Albert was there. Hey, Jeff!

Toronto's Holy F*** took the stage in punctual fashion at 9:00 PM. And while I expected the band to just repeatedly seek attention by announcing their ridiculous name, their performance was an exciting and interesting electro-dance, mostly instrumental set of short tunes. Kevin O'Sullivan had described the band as "drum and bass with some f***ed up electronic s***." I didn't know whether to expect fun and energetic (IQU) or flat out disorganized noise (World's End Girlfriend).

Pet peeves about live electronic acts? Songs that drag. Nothing to see on stage. But H.F. avoided both of those trends.

Beats were smooth and catchy and songs ended just before it felt like they were dragging. The drummer was in clear view next to a bassist who didn't seem to add much to the performance except some type of conventional stage performance aesthetic. Two mix and electronic artists were the focus on opposite sides of the stage with all sorts of film reels, melodica, vocoder, turntable, and effects. A lanky feller in a t-shirt that had some joke about interpretive dance was really into it, and Carolina shot me looks to his head-bobbing, shoulder-twitching dance moves.







After H.F., !!! took the stage around 10:15, and here's a rough setlist for ya'll (any help with this is appreciated):

1. Myth Takes
2. All My Heroes Are Weirdoes.
3. KooKooka...
4. Must Be the Moon
5. Pardon My Freedom
6. Yadnus
7. A New Name
8. ???
9. Heart of Hearts
10. Break in Case of Anything
11. ???

Halfway into the first song, interpretive dance dude gets shoved repeatedly by some junkie with long blonde hair. Apparently fragile and not realizing that tends to happen when people get excited at crowded club shows, Kevin Bacon decides to summon the Metro's security. Three times.

But the mosh was inevitable, and it lasted from the front to the end of the set. Carolina and I set a goal of discovering who was the most worthless member of !!! The award might go to one of the players that 'helps out' on percussion and plays saxophone on one song. Nic Offer danced to every measure, like a cleaned-up Mickey Avalon. Shaking hips, jumping around, and free to do whatever he pleased with the mic, he never looked bored--even during the !!! tunes that are mostly instrumental.

Mario Andreoni's guitar sounded as crystal clear live as it did on Myth Takes (which might be their best 'album' to date). But the intricate bass lines and percussion are what drive the live music, and they did not disappoint.

Some unknown black female vocalist was just as entertaining on stage, dressed like Linnell from the Borat movie, she fired up the crowd and danced crazier than a Springer guest, adding more of a club dimension to the scene.

But the funk band had more of a punk crowd, and the pushing and jumping continued for 80 minutes. Tremendous energy on the whole floor, and !!! delivered big time. The night ended on somewhat of a disappointment though. The set was shorter than it could have been (especially for a $16 ticket), and I had never heard a crowd cheer louder for an encore and not receive it. Clapping and screaming continued for 15-20 minutes until almost all instruments were carried off stage and the finality of the show was obvious. No performance of "Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard."

Definitely check out !!! if they're in the area, but expect a little violence and intensity along the way.
Read more!

5 May 2007 -- The Kooks live at Metro Chicago

I bought my ticket for Saturday's Kooks show on Feb. 8th... so it goes without saying that I had been looking forward to it for a long time. What I had expected from the Kooks was a very acoustic, very laid back performance. But what we got instead was a high-energy rock'n'roll romp with the cutest things Brighton has ever produced. The band began the set with the same two songs that begin the album but with one major difference being simply their energy in performing and enthusiasm for the material. On the studio album, Inside In/Inside Out, the sound is clean but feels a bit restrained -- this is luckily not the case for their live shows during which nothing is held back! Seaside is rather subdued and acoustic but, after breaking into See the World, the Kooks rocked out hard without looking back.

The band performed quite a bit of new material since it has been a while since their debut album came out last spring (in the UK). It was so interesting to compare the new Kooks songs to those on the album. In a live setting, the new ones are a bit more rock'n'roll. The difference is this: while I often describe Inside In/Inside Out as having an early-Beatles sound, the new Kooks material is very Rolling Stones. It rocks, hard. It has guitar solos, it has ambition, and most of all, attitude.

The new material is really, genuinely good; the Kooks delivered their latest with a vast amount of energy... the maturation and progress from the first album is highly evident. Mostly, these guys just know how to put on a show. One of the only bands I've seen who can pull off having a frontman who acts like a front man but plays guitar the majority of the time. This was my favourite show of the year (including last night's Arctic Monkeys). Can't wait for the second one now!

Songs:
Seaside
See the World
Eddie's Gun
Matchbox
Ooh La
Come On Down*
Time Awaits
She Moves in Her Own Way
*Oil
*Sway
*Sabateur
Naive
*Always Where
You Don't Love Me

Encore:
Jackie Big Tits
*Make Love
Sofa Song


Singer Luke Pritchard really provided a lot of the energy that made the live show so special. He just has that vibe, that charisma, that stage presence, which makes your time with him so much fun. Not to be restrained by conventional guardrails and security, Pritchard ventured into the audience once or twice. The last song, Sofa Song, got the best reaction from the crowd, everyone went nuts as 1) it is a really great song and 2) we all realized the night was almost over.

Other memorable things included: The knowing smirk whilst singing the chorus to Jackie Big Tits, an acoustic song which was not included on the band's setlist but was a more than welcome addition to the performance. Solid gold guitar action (above right). Time Awaits, the first verse. Black and white brogues (below). One very large, very pastel guitar. Luke Pritchard and his massive hair in my face (second from top).
Read more!

Lily Allen @ Metro (Chicago) 8 Feb 07

On a seven-city tour of the US, Lily Allen graced the Chicago's beloved Metro with her presence on Thursday night (February 8, 2007).

Ms. Allen was in fine form as usual wearing a navy blue dress and white trainers, her hair in a messy up-do, and the whole look accessorized perfectly with oversized sparkly earrings and a giant gold necklace shaped like a machine gun.


As Lily has begun to appear everywhere (SNL, MTV, various music rags...), it's no surprise that the much-anticipated show sold out in advance, especially being the only stop between coasts.
Lily Allen turned up to start the show on time, complete with a backing-band entourage. Comprised of seven studly, pieces of British man-musician (meat), the band included a bassist, guitarist, drummer, keyboardist, and a horn section (!!!) of trumpet, trombone, and sax players. Outfitted in (how cute) matching Lacoste uniforms, the boys provided a well proper sound to support Ms. Allen's beautiful vocal stylings.

Prim as can be, her voice exudes "star singing-lesson pupil" vibes whilst her lyrics tell it exactly like it is (" A fella looking dapper, but he's sitting with a slapper / Then I see it's a pimp and his crack whore"). Lily has mastered that naughty, you'd-better-watch-yourself-around-me-but-I'm-still-a-lady charm.

Self-described as "Pop / Hyphy / Ska," this gal's sparky sound has got audiences of all kinds hooked. (Especially funny when you see a 30-something fervently singing along with lyrics like "I wanna get a flat I know I can't afford it / It's just the bureaucrats who won't give me a mortgage / Well it's very funny cos I got your f***in money / And I'm never gonna get it just because of my bad credit!")

Setlist:

LDN
Nan, You're a Window Shopper
Knock 'Em Out
Shame for You
Littlest Things
Take What You Take (i think?)
Everybody's Changing (Keane)
Naive (Kooks)
Not Big
Absolutely Nothing
Everything's Just Wonderful
Friend of Mine
Friday Night
Smile

Encore:
Blank Expression
Alfie

Read more!