Review: Los Campesinos! @ LPR

Los Campesinos! @ (le) poisson rouge - June 22, 2012

Photo/Review: John Dabrowski

“That circle pit is lame,” Los Campesinos! frontman Gareth Campesinos! cooed to the fiery crowd at (le) poisson rouge. Earlier in the set, he tried to simmer the audience’s physicality, “Bear in mind there are a lot of delicate, attractive girls in the front.” However, those messages were largely ignored. Arms outstretched, bodies pulsing, voices galloping, the crowd could not handle itself. 

The addictive, bratty music of Los Campesinos! activates one’s body to dance and sweat and toil. One cannot merely stop. The Welsh seven piece performed tracks off their underrated 2011 effort Hello Sadness as well as favorites like “There Are Listed Buildings.” This caused an onslaught of crowdsurfers, attempting to swelter over those delicate, attractive girls. Those poor girls never had a chance. The final act of the night was beautiful. Gareth parted the crowd, dug himself through the mass, and submerged into the energy of the room for “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks.” Los Campesinos! executed a dazzling display of rowdy pop. Get wild with them next time they are in the area.

Alex Schaaf of Yellow Ostrich desired his latest release Strange Land to escape the bedroom sound that The Mistress held. With rousing numbers like “Marathon Runner” and “Elephant King,” Strange Land does succeeding in being richer, louder. Yellow Ostrich’s live performance is just as boisterous as their latest release. While Schaaf is a wiry fellow, his voice stands tall. On “Slow Paddle,” as Schaaf belted “Come out from where you are,” I felt him metamorphosing onstage, growing more confident with each song. Together, Yellow Ostrich and Los Campesinos! gave an audience access into their worlds by exposing themselves unabashedly.

Both bands will continue their tour together through the end of June. All tour dates are below. While you're down there, listen to Los Campesinos!' Hello Sadness and Yellow Ostrich's recently released Strange Land via Spotify below...

Los Campesinos! 2012 Tour Dates
June 26 OTTOBAR, BALTIMORE MD (ALL AGES)§
June 27 CAT’S CRADLE, CARRBORO NC (ALL AGES)§
June 28 MASQUERADE, ATLANTA GA (ALL AGES)§
June 29 BEACHMAN THEATRE, ORLANDO FL (ALL AGES)§
June 30 BARDOT, MIAMI FL (21+)§
July 14 LATITUDE FESTIVAL, LAKE STAGE (HEADLINE SLOT)
July 21 DEER SHED FESTIVAL, NORTH YORKSHIRE
August 3 ARENAL SOUND FESTIVAL, CASTELLON, SPAIN
August 25 READING FESTIVAL, MAIN STAGE
August 26 LEEDS FESTIVAL, MAIN STAGE
September 4 MUSIC HALL, BARCELONA *
September 6 COPERNICO, MADRID *
September 8 KUTXA KULTUR FESTIBALA, SAN SEBASTIAN
October 12-14 AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL

§ with Yellow Ostrich
* with Dry The River

Yellow Ostrich 2012 Tour Dates

Jul 31 Drake Hotel (w/ GIVERS) Toronto, Canada
Aug 02 Turner Hall Ballroom (w/ Sharon Van Etten + Tennis) Milwaukee, WI
Aug 03 Lollapalooza Chicago, IL
Aug 04 House of Blues (w/ Of Monsters and Men) Chicago, IL
Aug 06 Triple Rock Social Club (w/ GIVERS) Minneapolis, MN
Aug 07 The Riot Room (w/ Givers) Kansas City, MO
Aug 09 The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
Aug 10 Outside Lands San Francisco, CA
Aug 11 Outside Lands San Francisco, CA
Aug 12 Outside Lands San Francisco, CA