Photos/Review: All Tomorrow's Parties End of an Era Part One @ Pontins Holiday Camp, Camber Sands, UK

BEAK>

Lee Ranaldo & The Dust

Television

All Tomorrow's Parties End of an Era Part One @ Pontins Holiday Camp, Camber Sands, UK
November 22-24, 2013
Photos: Rhona (Wiglet Bill) Aquilina & Chris / Review: Chris

All things must pass. Even festivals that strive to provide an overwhelmingly enjoyable experience in addition to some of the best music lineups known to mankind. In the past thirteen years, UK promotors All Tomorrow's Parties have put on legendary festivals all over the world, but it's their original three-day series at Pontins Holiday Camp in Camber Sands that started it all, and set the template for what a music festival can and should be. And with good reason. Part one of their End of an Era series, curated by Primavera Sound and ATP, provided three of the most memorable days of my life.

Some background on our journey to our first UK ATP festival. My fiancee Jennifer and I decided to take the plunge and make a trip to London after finally meeting FN's London contributor Rhona and her wife Niki back in October, following a two year online correspondance with them. Of all the experiences I've had since creating this blog in 2011, getting to meet people as obsessed with music as I am has been the most rewarding. Rhona and Niki have been to numerous ATP Festivals, and considering the End of An Era series would be the last at Pontins, they were of course attending both weekends. Everything fell into place when Rhona informed me that there was room for the two of us in the 4-person chalet for Part One of End of An Era. Five weeks later we found ourselves on a red eye flight to London, the next morning driving to Camber Sands in a car packed with food, a couple cases of Sapporo cider and a big bottle of Apple Schnapps (more on that later).

Photos/Review: Nine Inch Nails @ Barclays Center

Nine Inch Nails @ Barclays Center - October 14, 2013

Photos/Review: Chris

The last time I caught Nine Inch Nails was in early 2006, an experience I’ll never forget. The first attempt to make it to that show at UMass Amherst, seven of us crammed into an SUV (two in the front, four in the back, one in the trunk) and drove all the way from New York City to Amherst with not much of a plan as far as what we were going to do once we arrived the night before the concert. We successfully tricked a Holiday Inn to give us a room for two people, though obviously we snuck the other five through the back entrance. All was going well until we stopped at a diner the next morning only to be asked by a couple guys next to us, “Are you going to the Nine Inch Nails show tonight?” We nodded. “Well the show is cancelled. Trent Reznor is sick.” That was a long drive back to New York City that day.

The second attempt came six weeks later when the seven of us drove back up to Amherst for the make-up date. We successfully got to the university (though I remember missing the first few songs), and Trent Reznor put on one of the most elaborate and thought-provoking arena shows I had seen up until that point. The imagery displayed on the screen behind the band (one particular image of George W. Bush dancing with his wife is still burned into my brain), gave me chills, but also made me want to crawl underneath my seat and weep. It’s seeing Nine Inch Nails live that truly makes you understand Trent Reznor’s vision. That show was a real eye-opener for me, musically and personally.

We drove back to some other hotel after the concert and attempted to pull off the same scheme of two of us asking for a room in the lobby, then sneaking the other five through a back entrance. It didn’t work this time. Within seconds of ushering in the group, the creepy guy from the lobby angrily knocked at the door, and when we opened it, he started screaming at us in this high-pitched wail I’ll never forget. “YOU LIED TO ME! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THAT! YOU ALL HAVE TO LEAVE, I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WOULD PULL THIS ON ME!” I remember it being simultaneously horrifying and hilarious, and to this day, we still randomly yell “YOU LIED TO ME!” to anyone else who was there when that happened.

Flash forward to 2013, and Nine Inch Nails have been through several new albums, side projects, tours, and even a hiatus. But NIN is back, and with their new album Hesitation Marks, their first major label release since 2007’s Year Zero, Trent Reznor and company are on a lengthy arena tour to support it. The four year hiatus didn’t have much of an effect on Reznor’s ability to plow through a 26-song career spanning setlist, clocking in at just about two hours, with virtually no breaks aside from just before their four-song encore.

Older songs like “Terrible Lie,” “March of the Piggies” and “Piggy” were reminders of why people fell in love with the band to begin with, but the newer material from Hesitation Marks stood up surprisingly well amongst the classics. And the light show on this tour, though it may sound hyperbolic, is one of the most elaborate light shows I’ve ever seen on a stage. With two screens that stretched the width of the stage, one in front of the band that was apparently also transparent, and one in the back that would intermittently switch between band silhouettes, abstract liquid lights and video footage, not to mention these insane hydraulic lights above the band that were doing all sorts of wacky things throughout the show… it was a sight to be seen.

But it was the moment that the stage went dark and all you could hear were the synth sounds of The Downward Spiral’s “A Warm Place” and the wave of applause that slowly grew to a roar in the completely packed Barclays Center, that I remembered why I fell in love with Nine Inch Nails’ music so long ago. Underneath all that grinding, static noise is some of the most beautiful music written in the past twenty years. When the band closed out the show with “Hurt,” accompanied by imagery of war, executions and a GIGANTIC snake head, it was impossible to not be completely in awe of what Reznor has achieved since he decided to start noodling around a recording studio in the late ‘80s. Reznor himself took a brief moment before the encore to admit he couldn’t believe that he gets to do what he does, and the moment did not come off as contrived.

We unfortunately missed opener Godspeed You! Black Emperor because of my own stupidity, but also because there was some conflicting information on Ticketmaster and the Barclays Center website that printed different show times. Godspeed was a great choice for NIN to take on tour though, and I can only imagine how their sound comes off in a massive arena.

Check out some far away photos of Nine Inch Nails, the setlist and tour dates below…

Photos/Review: Meat Puppets @ Brooklyn Bowl

Meat Puppets @ Brooklyn Bowl - October 12, 2013
Photos/Review: Chris

First things first: it's been well over a year since a post has gone up on this here website. Here's a vague explanation of what happened: over the summer of 2012, life got a little complicated, all but forcing me to focus on things that were far more important than going to shows in New York City. I initially intended for the hiatus to be short term while I took care of shit, but I just never got it together enough to get full on back into managing Fucking Nostalgic. It was a full time job, and I already had one of those, plus a personal life that I needed to tend to. Keeping up a blog is not an easy thing to do, as many will tell you.

But then I started going through some of posts and photo galleries and, well, I got pretty fucking nostalgic about Fucking Nostalgic. We covered some amazing shows, interviewed some iconic musicians, and threw some awesome parties. The contributors to FN are some of my favorite people on Earth. It would be really hard to make Fucking Nostalgic as constant a thing as it once was, but if we have something to share with you, we're going to try and share it.

Which brings me to last night's Meat Puppets show, which incidentally was a part of the ongoing CBGB Festival taking place in New York City this weekend. I'll just get it out of the way: HOLY SHIT, the Meat Puppets are great. The first time I saw the incredibly influential band was only a couple years ago at Le Poisson Rouge. I was blown away by how incredibly tight a band they were, considering how archaic and raw albums like II and Up on the Sun sound. Not to mention the well-documented hardships bassist Cris Kirkwood faced towards the end of the Meat Puppets original run (though Cris has been sober since for over a decade). I wasn't sure what to expect, but that LPR show ended up being one of my favorite shows of the year.

Last night was no different. Curt Kirkwood (who was recently the subject of a great interview by Marc Maron on WTF), Cris Kirkwood, Elmo Kirkwood (Curt's son) and Shandon Sahm played a little over 90 minutes last night to a rather ecstatic crowd -- plowing through well-known favorites "Up on the Sun," "Backwater," and "I'm a Mindless Idiot" in addition to the later-made-famous-by-Nirvana trio of songs, "Plateau," "Oh, Me" and "Lake of Fire." Plus a cover of the Beach Boys' "Sloop John B" -- something I've seen them pull off each and every time I've seen them live. If it ain't broke, don't fix it I suppose. No encore, but Curt did return to the stage a cappella while his brother and son danced around and hugged each other. It was an adorable family moment we got to witness to close out the night.

If you haven't caught the Meat Puppets live yet, you're doing it wrong. They're easily one of my favorite bands to catch, and you owe it to yourself to witness a legendary band still somehow in their prime. Check out some more photos from last night's show below...

Photos/Video/Review: 4Knots Music Festival @ South Street Seaport (Hospitality, The Drums, Archers of Loaf)

Archers of Loaf

New York City Firemen

4Knots Music Festival @ South Street Seaport - July 14, 2012

Photos/Video: Chloe Lee / Review: Geanna B.

The port! The port! The port was on fire! ... apparently. While I'm pretty sure I missed all of the action and excitement on that front, by the time I arrived downtown, the multi-alarm fire was the talk of 4Knots, causing Hospitality to cut its set short, with a bit of a delay later in getting the Crocodiles on stage.

After melting only slightly in the breezy heat, the Crocodiles got the show going again, kicking everyone into gear with their brand of noisy, distorted pop. The duo-turned-quintet from San Diego played an excellent set, chock full of fuzzy guitar riffs, droning vocals, and gritty, angsty lyrics.

Next on stage: The Drums. I started listening to this band at the urgent suggestion/demanding of Mr. James MacFie this past fall, and have pounced on every opportunity to see them live since. This kind of upbeat, surf pop still keeps a bouncy edge throughout every song, and it's always fun to watch lead singer Jonathan Pierce glide and twitch along the stage. It's true, there are heavy hints of The Smiths and New Order and even sometimes Joy Division, but the catchy sound and hum-worthy melodies cannot be argued against. Playing through "Best Friend," "Money," and "Days," the band closed with one of their earliest singles, "Let's Go Surfing," a kind of wistfully glee ode to summer, a perfect tune for a day by the water.

And finally, the main event. After The Drums skipped off the stage to eat ice cream sundaes, the majority of the crowd filed out, needing to replace their American Apparel tanks and tees that had been soiled by sweat and light beer. That gave us plenty of room to move up for Archers of Loaf, the quintessential 90's alt-rock band, complete with muscle tees and trucker hats to boot. It was an interesting change of pace to go from skinny-hipster-reverb to burly-man-guitar-anthems, but this is New York, and that's how we roll. Those who remained in the crowd were die hard fans, singing along with every note, and sometimes shouting out a very enthusiastic, "loooooaf!" The sound seemed to shake the entire Pier, giving us one driving, unforgiving song after another. Fuckin A.

Oh, NYC. Just when I think I can't love you any more, you give me an amazing free summertime show. I just want to hug the shit out of you. Forever.

---

Check out photos Chloe shot for us of Hospitality, The Drums and Archers of Loaf below, and also a video she got of Hospitality performing a brand spanking new song...

Photos/Review: Dirty Projectors @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Dirty Projectors @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - July 9, 2012
Photos: Nadia Chaudhury / Review: Josh Kurp

On the night before the official release date of their sixth album (and second that actually matters), Swing Lo Magellan, Dirty Projectors played a hometown show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Beginning with the title track, Dave Longstreth and company, including fellow guitarist and vocalist Amber Coffman, as well as new member Olga Bell, played the entirety of Swing, with a few older tracks, like "Useful Chamber" and fan favorite "Stillness is the Move," scattered throughout, too.

Spreading the songs between the new release and 2009's Bitte Orca, one thing became instantly clear: Swing is much "friendlier" and less abstract than it's predecessor; it doesn't stray away from the group's signature staticity R&B/folk/funk/billion other genre's sound, but "Gun Has No Trigger" and "Impregnable Question" feel more human, like Longstreth began with the words then worked on the beat, not vice versa. It was an excellent show from an excellent band playing their excellent new album.

Dirty Projectors play again tonight at Prospect Park, for which tickets are still available. Check out a huge gallery of shots that Nadia took of last night's show, including photos of opener Dustin Wong (of Ponytail).

Photos/Review: Roger Waters performing The Wall @ Yankee Stadium

Roger Waters @ Yankee Stadium - July 7, 2012

Photos: James M. Graham / Review: Debbie Chou & James M. Graham

The first chord of The Wall at Yankee Stadium will stay in my mind for as long as I live. Mind you, I only saw the film for the first time one week ago. "In The Flesh" has to be one of the best opening tracks of all time. Cue fireworks. Jaw drops and stays open for the remainder of the song.

I was probably five years old when I first saw the video for "Another Brick In The Wall." Mean teachers, students in a meat grinder, and rioting in the classroom meant nothing to me. And then I experienced public school in Taiwan. Let's just say I wish those teachers would leave us kids alone. The children in the choir was something I looked forward to seeing the most. It was a delight to see them in black t-shirts bouncing from side to side, clapping their hands, and air-punching the inflated "teacher" that was at least ten times bigger than they were.

Photos/Review: CBGB Festival Day Three (Cloud Nothings, The War on Drugs, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Guided By Voices)

Guided By Voices

CBGB Festival (Day Three) - July 7, 2012
Photos: Nadia Chaudhury / Review: Chris

Day three of CBGB Festival had two pretty huge options, both seemingly aimed at the same audience. How does one choose between Superchunk in Times Square and Guided By Voices at SummerStage? Theoretically, one could have attended both, as Superchunk took the Times Square stage at 1:20pm, but I didn't want to take any chances getting shut out of Guided By Voices, who weren't on until 6pm. I'm not entirely sure if I made the right decision, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Photos/Review: CBGB Festival Day Two (MxPx, Radio 4, Reggie Watts)

Reggie Watts @ The Bell House

CBGB Festival (Day Two) - July 6, 2012

Photos/Review: Geanna B. & Chris

Day Two of CBGB Festival had a lot of great options, but unfortunately our day jobs and inability to be in two places at once greatly limited what we were able to cover. Luckily, Geanna was game to check out pop-punk purveyors MxPx at Best Buy Theater, while I took a trip to The Bell House to catch one of comedian Reggie Watts' viciously unique sets. I'm happy to report that neither of us were stabbed throughout our excursions. Here's Geanna's account of the MxPx show:

Well, my ears are still ringing from Friday's MxPx show at Best Buy Theater for two reasons: 1. They totally rocked out, and 2. Because I might be getting old. Celebrating their 20th Anniversary as part of the CBGB Festival, this was one of the fest's shows that I absolutely had to see. Oh, Memory Lane, how often I visit thee. Who needs a DeLorean when nostalgia is just a subway ride away?

Photos/Review: CBGB Festival Day One (Krist Novoselic, American Hardcore, Agnostic Front)

Agnostic Front @ Webster Hall

CBGB Festival (Day One) – July 5, 2012
Photos/Review: Chris

CBGB Festival is in full swing here in NYC, which means thirty venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn are hosting music showcases, and the entire Landmark Sunshine Theater is holding numerous panels and film screenings. To kick things off, legendary bassist Krist Novoselic gave a keynote speech at Sunshine yesterday at noon, which was hosted and moderated by walking music encyclopedia Matt Pinfield.

Photos/Review: Amanda Palmer @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

David Byrne on stage with Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - June 27, 2012
Photos/Review: James M. Graham

She had her bass player open. He had a horn section and David Byrne. Good.

She had her guitarist open. He had a Scissor Sisters vibe and no David Byrne. OK.

She came on and played most of her new album, ----. A handful of Dresden Dolls songs ("Missed Me") and "Leeds United" from the very underrated "Who Killed Amanda Palmer."

Then she closed the show with David Byrne doing a full-on horn section Talking Heads "Burning Down The House."

It's as close as you're gonna get to a Talking Heads reunion EVER, I think - I hope, so dig it hard.

Me: I saw you in 1982
David Byrne: Where?
Me: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland
DB: My parents live there. I mean they used to.
Me: With Adrian Belew and Steve Soles
DB: Right.

Amanda's fans are rabid. Doors at 8pm/show at 9pm - observation at 8pm: floor full and packed.

And she just raised a million dollars (1.2, actually) on Kickstarter. The first to do so.

Her fans are rabid.

Her show rocked my world. Her enthusiasm rocked my world. You could not help but smile. And for god's sake she did a Motels cover???!!!

And that voice...

I love Amanda Fucking Palmer.

---

Photos from last week's show are below...

Photos/Review: Codeine @ The Bell House

Codeine @ The Bell House – June 29, 2012
Photos: Jennifer Harmon & Chris / Review: Chris

On Friday night, slow-core progenitors Codeine played their first NYC-area show in nearly two decades to one of the most focused and dedicated crowds of recent memories at the Bell House in Brooklyn. That is to say, during the band’s hypnotizing hour long set you could hear a pin drop during their most quite parts, and you could feel the energy utterly immerse you as they hit their most powerful moments. Many audience members in the front row stood with their heads bowed down and eyes closed, but make no mistake… no one was sleeping. Deeply concentrating on every strum of John Engle’s guitar, every whisper of Stephen Immerwahr’s lyrics, and every crash hit of Chris Brokaw’s drum parts just may be the best way to experience a live Codeine show. The set was absolutely beautiful.

The band’s reunion is somewhat of a celebration of the reissuing of the band’s discography, which includes two LP’s, an EP, and a smattering of demos and Peel Sessions--all of which are included on the deluxe box set which is finally on sale--earning the distinction of Pitchfork’s “Best New Reissues” title. Having seen the box set myself, it’s a beautifully packaged and comprehensive set. The band performed songs from all of their releases, even though current drummer Chris Brokaw (a singer/songwriter in his own rite) only played drums on the band’s debut Frigid Stars (I myself didn’t know if Brokaw or other drummer Doug Scharin would be playing that night until I saw Brokaw behind the merchandise table).

Opener Stephen Brodsky, openly a huge Codeine fan himself, seemed to have his greatest dream come true when he was invited onstage to perform “Cave-in” with the band towards the end of the set. It was a cathartic moment for the guitarist, who thrashed his head around on stage to the song a he played, making it one of the most exciting moments of the night. After the band’s set, which included a two-song encore, Immerwahr and Engle stuck around onstage and chatted with excited fans (myself included). When I asked Engle why they decided to put cats on their most recent tour t-shirt, he just grinned at me and said, “…that’s my cat.”

Codeine will return to New York City on July 15 when they play our other favorite venue, Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are still on sale. In the meantime, check out the band’s reissues over at the Numero Group, and take a look at a set of photos Jen and I took on Friday below…

Review: Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island (Day 2)

Fiona Apple

Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island - June 24, 2012

Photos: Chris / Review: Damien & Chris

Damien's Thoughts:

It says a lot about my sense of optimism when I wake up on the morning of any music festival and assume that it's going to be a maaaaaassive shitshoooooow, but as it turns out I had absolutely nothing to worry about when I got to Randall's Island for Day 2 of Governors Ball 2012.

Transportation from my uptown lair to the island itself was a breeze (in the form of a hipster-filled X80 bus to Randall's), and upon retrieving my VIP wristband ably provided by VIP Of Life James MacFie, I found myself staring down into a field containing two massive stages and dozens of tents full of swag and tacos and tacos (and tacos). I lowered the elbows that I was expecting to have to throw on my way in and strutted off to the VIP area at the Hype Machine stage to meet up with Jamie and Chris to chill on beers and air-conditioning before checking out Freelance Whales. Yes, that last sentence sounds bougie, but damn if I don't love some VIP treatment.

Freelance Whales put on a good set for sure, but I quickly forgot about it as we were using the area essentially just to meet up before heading to the other side of the Ball to get our minds rocked by NYC-via-Saratoga Springs indie rock / electronica duo Phantogram on the Honda Stage. I'd seen Jamie rocking their album and EP on Spotify and been intrigued, but their live set took their shoegaze-meets-J. Dilla beats musical style to a completely different level. Perhaps benefitted by the Honda Stage's intense bass setup and touring drummer Tim Oakley, tracks from the Eyelid Movies LP like "Running From The Cops" and "Mouthful of Diamonds" took on a slinky and infectious life of their own. The beautiful Sarah Barthel let her vocals soar over the near-chiptune stylings of Nightlife''s "Don't Move," and by the time the band ended the set with "Futuristic Casket" the crowd was in full dance party mode. Definitely a band to catch when next they rock a venue or festival near you.

As evidenced by the number of beards sported by the crowd, Sunday's audience was definitely here to catch the '90s indie power players that were set to rock the stage: Built To Spill, Fiona Apple, and muh-fuckin' Beck. And really, how many different ways can I affirm the inevitability that YES, THEY ALL COMPLETELY KICKED ASS? I saw BTS rock through "Virginia Reel Around The Fountain," I saw Fiona kick her absolutely electrifying set off with "Fast As You Can" and end it with "Criminal," AND I saw Beck - who we honestly had no idea what he was going to do - rock through the bulk of Odelay and get thousands of people chanting the lyrics of "Loser" into the summer night sky.

All that and I ate nearly a half-dozen Hill Country BBQ brisket tacos. Props to the Governors Ball staff for near-flawlessly pulling off a Sunday in NYC that I won't soon forget.

Review: Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island (Day 1)

Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island - June 23, 2012

Photos: Chris / Review: Geanna B. & Chris

Geanna's thoughts:

Did you guys know that neon is back? Well, it is. It's back in a big effing way, as was evidenced by the slew (yes, SLEW) of mutants rockin' some neon at the Governor's Ball on Saturday. Now in its second year, the Ball offered two days of festivities on Randall's Island, having since moved from their Governor's Island location of yesteryear. There were blow-up monkeys, brisket tacos, Native American headdresses and lots and lots of shirtless bros. And the icing on this summerlicious cake? Chris bought a $15 souvenir water bottle, making this his most successful trip to Randall's Island to date!

We would be jerkfaces if we didn't give a shout-out to our benefactor, James MacFie, who so generously dished out some free VIP passes to our rag-tag team of FN editors. Did we mention the clean, AC-ed, VIP bathrooms? The very large cans of Miller High Life? The strippers?

Putting together two very different days of music, Saturday and Sunday were clearly geared towards different audiences... of very different ages. Saturday's line-up of Kid Cudi, Passion Pit, Duck Sauce and Chromeo brought out all the kiddies in various forms of as-naked-as-you-could-get attire, ready to dance and scream and rage. Despite the rave-ish aspects of this mixup, the day was still pretty hassle free, leaving plenty of time to drink the champagne of beers and devour many tacos, pizzas, and teriyaki balls, oh my! Another plus - there were only two stages with no overlapping sets, allowing everyone to ping-pong themselves back and forth without missing a beat (pun intended! yeah!) all day.

A few choice moments included Major Lazer literally telling everyone to "TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRTS!" and whip them around in the air! Honestly, I have never seen a crowd so eagerly remove their neon tanks in order to obey the Laze. Seeing this shit go down was mesmerizing and hilarious. Beats were dropped. Steps were dubbed. A naked girl danced on stage. It was a very Jerzy moment. Across the way, the Duck Sauce stage featured a large inflatable duck sporting a fancy jacket. They did keep the party going in between posing for photos and readjusting their hats, but all I could think of was that disturbingly addictive video for "Big Bad Wolf." It's Big Bad Terrifying.

The highlight of the day's festivities was by far and away was the DJ set from Special Disco Version - LCD's James Murphy and Pat Mahoney - who were so chill and happy and enjoying themselves that it just set the tone for an extremely satisfying good time. In a perfect summer moment, it was exactly the self-proclaimed "block-party" that Mr. Murphy wanted, without the angst and intensity of basically every other performance that day. Giving us sounds of the 70s and 80s (and a little bit o'Harvest Moon, hollaaaaa!), I probably could have listened to this all day and been perfectly content.

More brisket tacos, please.

Photos: Mermaid Parade @ Coney Island

Mermaid Parade @ Coney Island - June 23, 2012
Photos/Words: Jennifer Harmon

Coney Island is the best spot to engage in people-watching. It's even more intriguing on the busiest day of the year - the annual Mermaid Parade.

I arrived at Surf Avenue around noon on Saturday and quickly joined the crowd of beachgoers flock towards the boardwalk.

What a sight to behold! Families, large and small, with little kids and babies, were there to enjoy the sunshine and spectacle of Coney Island. Clusters of friends in bikinis and neon-sunglasses patrolled the streets and boardwalk for the perfect spot to watch the parade. I had enough time to roam the entire area, observing the children with their cotton candy as blue painted ladies with shell bras floated by. There was lots of skin on display along with electric-colored wigs! I spotted the cutest older couple in bathing suits and fishnet near the Nathan's hot dog stand. They were sipping some beverages with friends and allowed just about anyone to snap their photo. They saw me with my camera and happily posed for me.

At 2 PM, I ended up near 10th street in front of Paul's Daughter. I could stand under the shade and savor my beverage before meeting my friends to witness the parade. We had a spectacular view of the procession and stood next to an interesting couple who were tourists visiting from London. The husband pointed out some of his "favorite ladies" in the parade and let's just say many of them had on pasties, tassels and other strategic bedazzled areas of the body.

We saw pirate zombies and scantily clad mermaid ladies in all shapes and sizes. There were shells, face paint, wild hair, and lots of glitter. We clapped, we laughed, we hollered out to all of our favorite floats and parade walkers. The lineup went on for over two hours with dancing and mini marching bands. A lot of the female contestants were in retro attire while others used the experience to express their own personal style with beads and silk and full body paintwork. Check out the photos and see how everyone expressed their own creativity. I think next year I should be in this parade with my boyfriend and some friends. Think I can make it happen?

Photos: Diamond Rugs @ The Bell House

Diamond Rugs @ The Bell House - June 22, 2012
Photos: Sam Cornwall

Last night, indie supergroup Diamond Rugs performed a somewhat last minute show at the Bell House and our photographer Sam Cornwall was able to make his way in to snap some photos for us. Check out his full gallery below.

Reminder that tomorrow you can catch Diamond Rugs for FREE when they open for Alabama Shakes at Central Park SummerStage. That show starts at 3pm, so make sure you get there early enough to also catch Robert Ellis!

Review: Sandro Perri / Destroyer @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple

Sandro Perri / Destroyer @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple - June 18, 2012
Photos/Review: John Dabrowski

Typically, Mondays are feared. They mark the start and continuation of responsibilities that builds until we crave solace. Fortunately, Vancouver’s Destroyer cooled the sting by performing an inspiring set at Brooklyn Masonic Temple to a hungry, generous audience.

Dan Bejar’s demeanor onstage verges on meditation. Crouching multiple times during the set, Bejar peeled his eyes shut and allowed his band to carry their sound into the swaying arms of the audience. He was transfixed with the spirit of the music that climbed so naturally from his band. There was a deep focus by all members of the outfit, trying to precisely carry the meticulous creature, 2011’s effort Kaputt, into euphoria. They succeeded in producing a mesmerizing experience by launching into numbers like “Savage Night at the Opera” and “Kaputt.”

Opener Sandro Perri allowed his songs to bleed into one another, creating a set that made the majority of the audience dial into their dreams. Sitting in the balcony, I watched the majority of the audience start to unravel in the palm of Perri’s magic. Perri, like Bejar, was a man of focus, attempting to perfectly articulate his delicate works into fruition.

The spectacular Impossible Spaces came alive at Brooklyn Masonic Temple. It is difficult for an opener to gain a warm approval from the crowd. Some acts crack, exaggerate their motions and get lost in the pressure. However, Perri navigated this challenge with grace. His genre-jumping sound cascaded into the decaying gymnasium, transforming the space into something mystical. There is a serenity in the way Perri and his band performs. Everything is done with care and without rush.

Ultimately, Destroyer and Sandro Perri exuded a serenity that Mondays rarely offer.

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Sandro Perri will continue his tour with Destroyer for the remainder of June before playing some scattered dates throughout the summer (all tour dates below). Yesterday it was announced that DFA will be releasing his "Changes"/"Love & Light" Remixes EP, which is now available via 12" and digital. You can watch the official video for Zongamin's remix of Sandro Perri's "Changes" below, along with a set of photos from Monday's show...

Photos/Review: Mogwai @ Webster Hall

Mogwai @ Webster Hall - June 15, 2012
Photos: Chris / Review: Trista Hou (Bingshu Hou)

If fans were upset with Mogwai for canceling their scheduled shows in NYC last year, than they were probably blown away by the band finally coming back on June 14 and 15 at Webster Hall. Clearly, I was one of those fans. On Friday, the Scottish post-rock legends played songs that spanned two decades worth of work, including tracks from their sophomore effort Come On Die Young and their latest album, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.

I have to admit that Mogwai’s live show is one of the plainest I’ve ever seen: no ostentatious costumes, no delicate stage setup, and very sparse interaction with the audience. However, it didn’t affect us being completely enticed by their music. Using their lengthy guitar-based instrumental pieces and typical sound distortions, they brought you into their world. The advantage of being plain is that the audience was made to give its full attention to the music itself, and also conjures up our intensified nitpicking of the band’s songwriting. 

Mogwai didn’t let us down, at least me. I was immersed in the wall of sound and sea of noise they created, from the beginning till the end. It was like a journey to a dreamland... they did their best to balance their performance, so as their instrumental metal wouldn't be too heavy, and their shoe gazing not too drowsy. When a familiar keyboard gently began, I knew it was the symbolic track “I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead” from The Hawk is Howling. Its high pitched sound penetrated through all of their instruments and stayed at a position, knitting melodic strands, creating an outpouring of sadness that more or less invaded you. 

As “We’re No Here” was about to end the show, the sound effects seemed to take us to the top of a mountain overlooking an entire dreamland. Joy mixed with exhaustion after this arduous trip, and it was time to seize the last moment of enjoyment, for we knew that after this, we'd have to return to the disappointing and mundane reality of repeating days and nights. Mogwai is fantasy; or they're a hallucinogen that can temporarily take you to a world of fantasy.

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Mogwai will play several more dates this summer, mostly in Europe. In the meantime, the band recently announced plans to release a remix album (a first for the band) titled A Wrenched Virile Lore, which will include remixes of songs from Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. You can download to the first released song from the album, which is Xander Harris' take on "How To Be A Werewolf."

Also check out a full set of photos from Friday's show, in addition to their setlist below...

Mogwai @ Webster Hall - June 15, 2012 Setlist
Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home
White Noise
I Know You Are But What Am I?
San Pedro
Mexican Grand Prix
Stanley Kubrick
Stop Coming To My House
Cody
Ex-Cowboy
How to Be a Werewolf
2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
Ratts of the Capital

Encore:
Rano Pano
I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead
We're No Here

Photos/Videos: Spirit Family Reunion @ Mercury Lounge

Spirit Family Reunion @ Mercury Lounge - June 15, 2012
Photos/Videos: Chloe Lee

On Friday night, Brooklyn folk act Spirit Family Reunion celebrated the release of their debut LP No Separation at Mercury Lounge. The album, which was self released and available on their bandcamp page, follows in the footsteps of other young Americana-influenced indie acts like Deer Tick and Delta Spirit, a scene that seems to be growing larger and larger lately. You can stream their song "I Am Following The Sound" off the album below...



The band will head to the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI on July 28, but for those in New York City who want to catch them again, Spirit Family Reunion will be performing a free show on August 4th at Prospect Park as part of Celebrate Brooklyn (all tour dates below). Our photographer Chloe Lee was at Mercury Lounge for FN on Friday, and you can check out a full set of photos, in addition to two exclusive videos of the band playing their songs "On My Mind" and "I'll Find a Way" and  below...

Photos/Review: Grass Widow @ Knitting Factory (Northside Festival)

Grass Widow (w/ Gary War, The Black Belles & Turbo Fruits) @ Knitting Factory
Panache Booking Northside Showcase - June 16, 2012
Photos/Review: Chris

After leaving a little early from the free Kurt Vile / Dawes show at Central Park SummerStage, we headed down to the Knitting Factory in Williamsburg to catch the official Panache Northside Festival showcase. I wash't completely aware of how long it would be until Grass Widow (who we were there to see) would take the stage, but luckily the lineup was engaging enough that the three hours flew by pretty quickly. The $4 PBR's helped too.

As soon as one-man band Gary War started sound checking, mainly by checking the levels on his backing tracks, I leaned over to Mariel and said, "I have a feeling this is going to be weird and awesome." My intuition was 100% correct. Though I couldn't understand a single word Gary War sang throughout his set, and his guitar was often a flanger-tinged warble, the performance was no less entertaining. Swinging his hair around and keeping up with the synthy drums and keyboard sounds he had playing in the background, Gary War is certainly doing something pretty unique. Listen to his song "On Its Head" below to get an idea of the particular weirdo sort of new wave he's going for.



Up next were The Black Belles (signed to Jack White's Third Man Records), the band most people appeared to be at Knitting Factory to see. Apparently they appeared in a Colbert Report sketch last year, which may have explained how packed the venue got just for them, but whatever, they were actually really good. Dressed in matching gothic clothing and makeup, the all female trio played a set of grungey psychedelic garage rock, easily making every attendee's head bob in sync. Check out their track "What Can I Do" to hear what they bring to the table...



Following Black Belles, Nashville, TN garage-punk act Turbo Fruits--one of the many bands to rise from the ashes of Be Your Own Pet--took the stage. The last time I caught them it was early in the day at SXSW in 2011, playing to maybe ten people outdoors at our friend's Fontanas SXSW showcase. They instantly attracted my attention, and of course I remembered them enough to know I had to catch them at this show, but without a full crowd pogoing and moshing to the band their full effect was lost on me then.

Luckily, conditions were just perfect for Turbo Fruits late on Saturday night, and for the entirety of their set a good portion of the crowd went pretty insane for the band. Also, as their frontman stated, it was their final show on a 65-date tour, which caused them to play with great intensity, even to the point that they were humorously fucking with their drummer's equipment mid-song. I've had a hard time getting their song "Mama's Mad Cos I Fried My Brain" out of my head since they played it, and now you have the chance to get it stuck in your head below...



Since it was nearly 1am by the time Grass Widow came on, I almost forgot how excited I was to finally catch the San Francisco trio. Their latest album Internal Logic is easily one of the best records released so far this year, and I've had a hard time resisting the urge to give it another spin day after day. And even though the new album is a little quieter than their previous output, they did just what I love what bands do live: they played the quiet shit heavy. Their beautiful three part harmonies were perfectly maintained, but their was a rawness to the songs from Logic that reminded you that despite turning down the distortion a bit on the album, they're still a punk band when all is said and done.

Ending their set with an energetic cover of Wire's "Mannequin" is a sure fire way to win my heart, not that the preceding forty minutes of their set didn't already do that, but it was the perfect way to end the night. Take a listen to Grass Widow's "Disappearing Industries" below...



It was one of those shows that was wall-to-wall great music, and hopefully you were there (we unfortunately missed the first two bands on the bill, how were they?). Check out a full set of photos of all the bands mentioned above...

Photos: Kurt Vile & The Violators / Dawes @ Central Park SummerStage

Kurt Vile

Dawes

Kurt Vile & The Violators / Dawes @ Central Park SummerStage - June 16, 2012
Photos: Chris

One thing I'll always defend about the high cost of living in New York City is the overwhelming amount of free entertainment that comes our way during the summer months. It quite easily redeems the absurd amount of money we spend on rent, food and everything else under the sun just to know how often we'll be rewarded with free entertainment. Such was the case on Saturday, during the most beautiful day of the year so far, when Kurt Vile & The Violators and Dawes played a free show at Central Park SummerStage.

Vile, who was once a member of the similarly sounding band The War on Drugs (who released one of our favorite albums in 2011), opened the show--which was a bit confusing because it definitely seemed like most of the crowd was there to see him. Nevertheless, he and his band performed a solid set for about an hour, and towards the end Vile played several songs acoustic-solo. Dawes, who had their fair share of fans in attendance as well, gave an upbeat energetic performance which was in stark contrast to the droning, ambient set Kurt Vile opened with. We had to leave halfway through Dawes' set to make it to the Knitting Factory (more on that in a bit).

In the meantime, take a look at a full set of photos from Saturday's show, in addition to both Kurt Vile and Dawes' tour dates below...