The Front Bottoms | The Constellation Room in Santa Ana | 06.15.13

This isn't really going to be a review as much as a big old fangirling squeefest. We had been looking forward to this show for about a year, since the first time we discovered The Front Bottoms opening for Motion City Soundtrack, and it truly lived up to (or surpassed) every expectation.

For the past year or so I have probably listened to The Front Bottoms' self-titled album more than anything else, to a staggering degree. At times I even felt bad about neglecting the new cds of my favorite bands in favor of that one. One of my favorite memories of last summer was sitting in the parking lot of the Block with Bigs on 4th of July, watching fireworks and both of us singing along to it. I haven't connected to an album like that in a very long time, and I love every single song on it. So, I kept watching their facebook, tumblr, twitter, and Instagram, impatiently waiting for them to come back around so we could see them again. A couple of months ago a new album was announced, and among the new tour dates was a stop right here at the Constellation Room! It would be an understatement to say that I flipped out. This was even better than I could have hoped - a teeny, tiny venue in Orange County! Who could ask for anything more?

As the day of the concert approached, I started to get nervous. It hadn't sold out, which was discouraging, because as I said, it is a very small room. I started to imagine that there would be 10 of us there and B and I would be the only ones who knew any of their songs, and felt awful at the idea. Finally, the day of the show, it was announced as sold out. Thank goodness!

Frustratingly, I lost the tickets (I never get actual tickets anymore, and they arrived in a plain white envelope exactly the same size as the tickets, so they must have been tossed out with the junk mail) but I was able to get them to hold new tickets for us at will call. When we went up to the window, the kids in front of us were BEGGING for tickets in spite of the sold out status. "Is there ANYTHING we can do to get in?" the little hipster girl pleaded. We raised our eyebrows at each other, wondering what she meant by that, but then she yelped in excitement when her friend pointed out that their names were right there on the guest list! Apparently they had emailed the Front Bottoms and asked if they could get in earlier that day. Later I saw them say hello to the lead singer of one of the opening bands, so I guess they had some kind of hook ups. Anyway, we finally got in and made our way as close as we could to the stage. I wasn't about to stand in the back for this show! I was goin old school on this one, and was very curious as to how things would play out. 

As I had expected, we were the oldest ones there, so I was slightly uncomfortable at first, but no one was even giving us a second glance so I relaxed. The first of the two openers was called Our Native Language, and consisted of three very young looking kids, nervously playing songs with lyrics farrrrr beyond their age or experience ("Someone's been listening to too much Tom Waits," Brandon whispered after the third mention of drinking whiskey to forget troubles with his "gal"). The female backup singer/tambourinist/guitarist/trumpeter attempted to toot her horn onehandedly several times, and by the grimace and smirk on the lead singer's face, it would appear that they need a bit more practice. She took it all in stride, though, self deprecatingly giggling at herself and admirably powering through when her guitar strap broke in the middle of one songs. The guy behind me was deeeeply (but politely) in love with her ("Wow, she is very attractive. She is extremely charming. She is making me feel dizzy.") and I could see why. 

Next up was a band from San Diego called Weatherbox. Many in the audience seemed to know them, and they were pretty enjoyable. They looked like a 90s pop rock band, but sang some really intense lyrics (example: Yours is the only cancer I accept/ Because it's you in my lungs/ and I cough you up for days). I thought the guitarist looked like Ryan Gosling with Jordan Catalano's hair, so of course he gave me some good eye candy to pass the time. However, you could tell everyone was getting a bit impatient, knowing that The Front Bottoms would be on soon.

Finally! The boys took the stage and everyone went berserk. I had hoped people would be enthusiastic, but I honestly didn't expect the mayhem that ensued. Everyone pushed forward and from the side, a pit emerging immediately, turning the room into a jumping, dancing, screaming, crowd surfing, stage diving, twisting mess. I was in heaven. My fears of no one knowing who they were quickly subsided when I realized that every single person in the crowd was singing along to every single word of every single song, even the ones from the new album that had just come out a couple weeks prior. It was complete bliss, and the boys seemed pretty overwhelmed at the response. They were even more confident than they were the first time we saw them, this time joined onstage by two really great musicians handling bass, electric guitar, horns, and keys. These guys were the perfect road addition to the duo, complementing them perfectly but not upstaging the two stars at all. 

Lead singer Brian Sella looked every bit the seasoned front man, attacking his acoustic guitar energetically and singing every song with a huge smile on his face. Brandon commented afterwards that he seemed to close his eyes a lot, though, which I didn't notice at all because I SWEAR he made eye contact with me at least twice. Um, I mean, he seemed really focused to me! Although I had difficulty seeing tiny powerhouse drummer Matt Uychich from my spot in the roiling crowd, every time I caught a glimpse of him he was basically just a blur, just the way I expected him to be. The boys seemed quite proud of their new staging, including a lovely banner and one of those crazy air dancer guys. They really are moving up in the world!

Because we attend a lot of concerts, we have repeatedly encountered what I consider the worst possible concert-goers: the ones who sit/stand there and just chat loudly with each other the whole time, completely uninterested in the magic that is happening right in front of them. This show brought me back to a happier place where the fans are actually there for the music and the experience. Not one person in that room cared about anything but the band. We were all singing and dancing and smiling at each other, strangers becoming a community based on a shared passion. I miss going to shows like that, so this was a really special and much-needed experience. 

By the end of the night, they had played every song from the new album and a bunch from the first, leaving us exhausted but satisfied. The tiniest twinge of disappointment I felt from them not playing my favorite song was completely overshadowed by the pure happiness from seeing them live again and in such a wonderful way. 

Someone posted a video of them performing the last song, their current single, Twin Sized Mattress

From what I have been reading as they work their way through the rest of the tour, it's been like this every night. That thrills me to no end, and I am so excited that they are having so much success. They really do deserve it.

The Neighbourhood | The Observatory in Santa Ana | 05.24.13

Allow me to rant for a bit about this trend lately that venues seem to be falling into: not abiding by the door times. It makes no sense to me that they would rather have people standing outside for an hour than buying overpriced drinks and merch. If a band is late or having technical problems, too bad. Keep the curtain closed and let us in. Tonight was an absolute clusterfuck the likes of which we have never seen. Doors at 7, show at 8, dinner res at 7:30. So why was there a non moving line all the way out to Harbor at 7:20? We didn't get in till almost 8. I understand that we are old and easily annoyed and not rock n roll in the least, but this just seems like an idiotic business practice. However, I did end up drinking two vodka cranberries rather than my usual iced tea before the main act even took the stage because I was stressed and annoyed, so good for them? (The stress came from forgetting my phone - who does that??)

On to the show. They must be finished with their remodel of balcony area because were were led up there by the same host who recognizes us every time. Honestly we couldn't notice much difference except maybe carpeting and new lighting. When we were finally seated (and told we would be sharing a table because they had a full house) some shlubby guy wandered onstage over to the little setup down left and started messing with his laptop, I guess mixing songs? Is this what qualifies as an opener these days? No offense to DJs, but I sincerely hoped not and thankfully a real band appeared right around the same time as our food.

This was Lovelife, who were so thrilled to be in California, all the way from the UK (a million miles, they said) but they pronounced the city name differently every time. Santa Rana, Santaria, Santera, Santer Ama - come on. You're not so cool that you cannot take two seconds to learn the name. It was fairly obvious why they would be selected as tour mates The Neighbourhood: group of cute young boys singing songs about heartbreak and regret. At least that is what I gathered from the bit I could understand - as B said, the lead singer sounded like he had a mouth full the whole time. That is a big difference between this band and the one we came to see. My favorite thing about The Neighbourhood is that the lead singer seriously spits fire. More on that later. The biggest problem was that we had to attempt to eat in the dark during this opener because of the late entrance. Really frustrating, and on top of that they seemed to have removed all traces of bacon from the menu, including B's favorite, the Nebula burger. Hopefully that is a temporary thing.

Right after they wrapped up, shlubby came back to his laptop and our host informed us they had some cancellations (aka people changed their minds about dinner after getting in at 8pm) so we wouldn't have to share the table. I did a quick facebook check and noticed The Observatory was giving away a pair of tix to the show, and said the headliners would be on at 9:45. Again wtf? Doors supposedly at 7 and the main act going on at almost 10? Why  should we be sitting here for an hour between acts? Nonsense. At around 9:40 some guy came onstage with a hand held camera to get some crowd shots and all the kids got excited while I sat there wearing my best Grumpy Cat frown.

Finally the lovely boys of The Neighbourhood took the stage, and it was pandemonium. We have a bit of a soft spot for this band, because we happened to see them open for Paul Banks and then Metric a few days later. Immediately we proclaimed these kids had the perfect formula to hit it big - adorable, interesting, extremely talented, with catchy songs that are easy to at least hum along to. About a month later KROQ started playing them and soon they were popping up everywhere. So, it made us kind of proud to hear all these little girls chanting and freaking out at the mere sight of them. Some girls were even holding up signs! Signs!

They filmed a "video" for their big hit, Sweater Weather at the show

Brandon expressed a tiny bit of concern when we noticed lead singer Jesse Rutherford was wearing some kind of pleather skirt over his black, emo ensemble, but I assured him that this kid is pretty quirky so I don't think it's some kind of new-found fame-driven affectation. As previously mentioned, we were pretty blown away by these guys the first two times we saw them - most specifically the crisp, clear vocals and lightning fast lyrics. On that front, we were slightly disappointed in this show, but we decided that it was the fault of the sound mix and not the band itself who was definitely giving its all the whole time. The previous times were in the tiny Constellation Room and then the Fox Theater, so it's kind of pathetic that the heretofore awesome sounding Observatory seems to be going downhill. We had hoped the muddy mix we experienced during the Built to Spill was a fluke, but unfortunately it appears to be a trend. In spite of the fact that the vocals weren't as sharp as they had been during our previous experiences, however, we were not let down by the performance.

These boys are incredibly tight and well put together for being so young and relatively new. At times I just stared at the hysterical crowd, fist pumping, dancing, screaming the lyrics, and just basically losing their minds over this band. For me, that kind of fan reaction always bolsters my enjoyment, and this was no exception. I get a little overwhelmed every time I go to a show and think about the fact that all of these people (and in this case, many VERY young people) are choosing to be out among others and enjoying loud music rather than sitting in their rooms messing around on the Internet or playing video games. It lights up my heart that in the age of Bieber and Miley, there are still young people making great music and others appreciating it like this. Sure, it helps that these are cute young boys who could get away with singing shlocky pop. Thankfully, however, their music really is thoughtful, complex, and layered.

The band seems genuinely excited and humbled by their sudden success, even relating an anecdote about how after they played a few shows in The Constellation room, the owner suggested they play the big room. They balked, saying they didn't think that would work out, but were talked into doing it. The show sold out within a couple of hours. Very cool for them. 

Yo La Tengo | Music Box at the Fonda | 05.09.13

Brandon has been a fan for a very long time, but for some reason they never really grabbed me. I have nothing against them - they just don't really do it for me the way they do for him. When I started searching around to find out who was opening, I discovered that there was no opener, but instead the band would be playing two distinct sets: acoustic first, short intermission, then electric. I thought it was odd that this wasn't really advertised anywhere and I only figured it out by checking the venue's Twitter feed and then good old setlist.fm to see what they had played at recent gigs. Brandon, however, wasn't surprised by this unique setup, as the band is prone to these types of stunts. Apparently, during a previous tour, they had a wheel onstage that they would spin and would then do whatever it landed on - including acting out a scene from Seinfeld. Well, alrighty then! On to the show.

Yo La Tengo generally have two disparate sounds: dream poppy at times, but then jangly discordant at others. So, this split set actually made a lot of sense and gave us a taste of this duality in a much more overt manner. They started out nice and smooth, with lush arrangements of their already dreamy songs. Sometimes when we are at a show for one of Brandon's bands, I find myself sort of zoning out and feeling disconnected, kind of wondering how many songs are left. This time, however, I was really getting into the sound and didn't even care that I didn't know the songs. They were just washing over me in a cozy, almost hypnotizing manner, and I caught myself just leaning back and smiling contentedly after every song.

In fact, I was surprised and slightly disappointed when the acoustic set was done, because I was having such a lovely time. Brandon said he almost felt like we were all sitting around a campfire and they were just playing an intimate show for friends. He described it as having a sort of innocent feel, almost like some sort of farewell show. The beautiful cutout trees that made up the set really lent itself to this atmosphere. After a short intermission during which they moved things around a bit, they returned for the electronic portion of the show. 

Brandon felt that in spite of the fact that their many years together as a band showed in the lines on their faces, it was belied by their youthful exuberance, each member of the trio jumping back and forth between instruments, whaling away on keyboards and drums alike. 

He said that there wasn't much difference between this performance and the one other time he has seen them, some 20 years ago. 

This also brings up an interesting shift in Brandon's lifestyle - how strange is it that counting this show he has only seen Yo La Tengo, a band he lists as one of his top 10 faves, twice.

Again, he was slightly confused at the omission of many fan favorites, but they did not fail to impress and entertain.

Built to Spill | The Observatory in Santa Ana | 05.02.13

Another night at our friendly neighborhood venue, The Observatory. We have seen Built to Spill a couple of times , including an incredible show last year during which they played one of their albums in its entirety at the Troubadour, so we were happy to see them again, especially so close to home. Brandon has been a fan for many years, and one of their songs that he introduced to me, Car, is one of my all time favorite songs. So, of course we snapped up the tix when we saw that they would be so close to home.

The week leading up to the show I started checking out setlist.fm, which is my way when we are going to see a band with which I am not as familiar as Brandon is, just so I can know what to anticipate. Slowly I came to the sinking realization that they haven't played Car once all year. This sort of put a damper on my enthusiasm, but I buoyed myself with the memory that they always put on a great show, so even though I would probably be missing out on my fave song, it would still be an enjoyable evening.

They sat us downstairs at a booth again, which is so comfortable but doesn't make for the best views. We are hoping they come up with some sort of compromise, because it would seem like the people who come earliest and spend the most money should get some sort of better view than the people who wander in and stand in front of the booths. [This is also why the pics for this show suck so badly - we couldn't get a good view to save our lives.]

Opener Junior Rocket Scientist fell under the category of "passable but nothing special to us," which unfortunately has become the norm at the Observatory. With the one shining exception of The Neighbourhood, we haven't really been dazzled by any openers there. 

As expected, Built to Spill put on a great show. This is one of those bands that even without being familiar with their entire catalog, I can completely immerse myself and rock out with them. This is owing almost entirely to the workhorse-like nature of lead singer Doug Martsch. The guy is in his 40s and is starting to show a bit of wear and tear, but honestly I feel like it has just enriched his voice with an even more impressive depth. He throws his whole self - body and soul - into every single song. See how is face is blurred below? That's because he NEVER stopped moving long enough to get a clear shot.

I was riveted as usual, and by the time we got to the rollicking encore that included a faithful rendition of Don't Fear the Reaper (it could probably have used a bit more cowbell from the lead singer of Junior Rocket Scientist who joined them for the song, but I am not complaining) I am pretty sure everyone in the room was spent and satiated. This was especially true for one woman from the booth next to us who was basically putting on some sort of performance art with her "dancing" all over the place. She was flailing, whacking into people, and generally causing a bit of a scene, but thankfully wasn't all that disruptive. Everyone around her just kind of gave her some space and smiled at her, shaking their heads.

The only negative was that the once impressive sound quality of the venue was way below our now high expectations. Everything was a bit muddy and rough, which isn't what we have experienced with this band previously. It wasn't bad enough to ruin the evening or anything, but it was noticeable. Brandon did feel that the set list was a bit odd, with some of their more familiar songs skipped in favor of some obscure, esoteric ones. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just surprising to him.

Overall it was an extremely entertaining night. No Car, though. Dang.

The Japandroids| The Glasshouse in Pomona | 04.22.13

I was intensely excited to see Japandroids, because their song The House that Heaven Built was my very favorite song of last year. Once again, we delve into Brandon's fave genre of Canadian indie rock, and I put emphasis on the rock part. Their music never fails to get me hyped up, so I was looking very forward to a good old fashioned throw down with these guys. As an added bonus, Brandon also very much enjoys the opener, Cloud Nothings, who also seem to specialize in straightforward, fist pumping fun.

The Glasshouse is a great little venue, very close to the Fox Theater, and we have seen some very memorable shows there (Jimmy Eat World, Motion City Soundtrack, Metric, just to name a few). However, the advertised door/show times usually seem to have no bearing on the actual set times. We often arrive close to show time only to see a handwritten sign in the window saying that the openers wouldn't be going on for another couple hours. So, we just hang out in the car and then make our way over after a nice nap or something. This time I was forward thinking and thought maybe we could call ahead and find out what the deal was for the night. Worked great.

There is a small balcony where we usually like to stand - back in the day it was sort of unfinished and would always be INSANELY hot, so we have some fond memories of finding a tiny square directly under a vent up there and huddling together to cool off during a show. Those days seem to be over, as they have slowly been remodeling that area and it's a much nicer spot now. There used to just be small cutouts in the wall through which to view the stage, but now that whole wall has been completely cut in half so it's very comfortable and unobstructed. The A/C didn't kick in for a while though, so we had some brief flashbacks to those hot nights of the past.

When Cloud Nothings took the stage, they didn't say much and just ripped into their guitar fueled set with an energy that didn't really match their laid back style. I wasn't too into it because I am one of those superficial people who prefers her music with lyrics, and for the most part they just waled away on their instruments. When they played the one song of theirs that I did know, Stay Useless, I enjoyed it very much and so did the crowd, but otherwise they didn't really thrill me too much. Brandon felt that they seemed to shed their album persona for a more neo-Nirvana-like attitude, perhaps feeling the pressure to keep up with the Japandroids' raucous reputation.

 

As I mentioned, the set times were actually more than accurate this time, and the polite lil Canadians of Japandroids very sweetly came out a few minutes earlier than posted, introducing themselves to us and chatting us up a bit before proceeding to melt our faces off.

These two adorable boys pulled the same sideways drum layout as Joy Formidable (is this a new thing? because I LOVE it) so we had a wonderful view of both of them. They also were able to really interact with each other, which I would think is important for a rock duo, and they seemed to be have such a great connection.

Although they mentioned several times how beat they were after Coachella, they turned in a solid performance and were ready to "leave it all on the stage" since it was the last show of their current run. We did think they wanted a bit more enthusiasm from the crowd, which was definitely rocking out but come on - it was a Monday night. Many present probably had rough weekends, and as Brandon pointed out, that probably included attending Coachella themselves. It was a valiant effort. 

Before launching into their "big hit" (air quotes by the lead singer), the aforementioned The House that Heaven Built, they explained that they have made ONE video, and it's for that song, and it demonstrates how the crowds normally react when they play that song - which is to say they go apeshit. I don't think the people in attendance that night exactly lived up to that expectation, but I for one was extremely excited to hear it.
 

Obviously it took me a week to get this blog post finished because we are seriously tired from such busy weeks recently. This week we're taking it easy with just one show on Thursday, and it's close to home! Whew.

Purity Ring | The El Rey Theater in Los Angeles | 04.18.13

Our third show this week brought us out to the El Rey in LA, which is a great little venue but has an odd layout so we're always a bit torn about seeing shows there. Brandon's not a big fan of standing throughout a whole show because of his back and knees, but sometimes they do have chairs lining the walls or we kind of find room against the railing, so it's kind of a crap shoot. Although I am not nearly as into Purity Ring as Brandon is, I could not pass this one up because I was incredibly curious as to what their live shows might be like. They are a Canadian duo made up of a guy and a girl, and I had read that they use "a custom-built, tree-shaped instrument to drive both live sound and lighting" and "both wear clothes custom designed and sewn" themselves. Their music is ethereal with hauntingly freaky lyrics, and since they are mostly electronic they certainly speak to me on some level, especially after watching the  weird ass video for my fave song of theirs, Fineshrine.

Once again the doors were not till 8 so we were able to leave late and got there pretty quickly. For some reason, however, the doors were still not open when we go there so we had to wait in line for a while. Thankfully the delay in opening the doors didn't push back the show time too far. I never mind hanging out at the El Rey. The pre-show music was a mix of hip hop and top 40, which kind of surprised us but the crowd seemed to be eating it up with a spoon.

 

I am not really sure what genre Purity Ring fall under, but I guess opener Blue Hawaii fits the same bill: guy on the sampler mixing beats and sounds, girl wailing weird combinations of words and phrases. They announced that they would be starting out slow and building, and they surely did that. At first they were a bit meek, the singer admitting she was very nervous, hair in a ponytail, standing still. By the end, her hair was down, she was dancing and flailing around to the hard thumping rhythms they were cranking out. It wasn't until halfway through that although they were dressed very plainly (him: buttoned white shirt, her: over sized Purity Ring t-shirt and jeans) I noticed that they both had slashes of grayish green paint across their eyes. I kind of loved that random dash of oddness; it suited them well. I was definitely pretty pumped after watching them, as was the rest of the crowd. When they left the stage, the pop warm-up music resumed, culminating with Taylor Swift's Trouble, which is apparently a big hit with the hipsters?? No idea wtf was going on there, but pretty much every person in the room (besides us) was dancing and singing along. As soon as it ended, the lights went down and Purity Ring triumphantly entered.

 

Before I get into the performance aspects, I need to paint the backdrop for this tale. Bear with me, because I really don't know the proper names for much of what we saw, but I will do my best to accurately describe everything, and thankfully Brandon took a ton of pictures to help illustrate. The stage was dominated by long thin poles from which hung large cocoon-like lamps. To the right was a bass drum on a tall stand, and to the left was a rig made up of the control panel with smaller lights surrounding the male half of the duo. These lights seemed to be connected to the music, and he would play them like drums which would light up when struck.

The singer prowled the stage, often holding up an orange work light like a torch. She was marvelous, seeming to me to be a demented, menacing fairy queen, luring us into her enchanted (possibly dangerous) forest.

She clutched at her dress, clawed the air, mussed up her hair, all with a twisted smile on her face and a gleam in her eye.

At times she would pound the bass drum and cause it to light up - I likened it to a full moon while Brandon got the impression of a beating heart.

This was truly a piece of performance art from beginning to end. We could not take our eyes off the pair of them the entire time. They were so in sync, so dramatic, so deeply committed to what they were creating for us. I could not stop smiling. On a purely superficial note, about 2/3rds of the way through, the lights became quite a bit brighter and I got a good look at the male half of the duo. Wow. So lovely. Never cracked a smile till they were leaving the stage, but I thought he was quite beautiful in his intensity. They ended rather abruptly and did not come back for an encore, despite the crowd chanting "ONE MORE SONG!" long after the house lights came up.

Finally! A show we both agreed was a thoroughly entertaining evening for everyone. I was honestly scared when I turned around to look at Brandon afterwards and get his reaction because there was NO way he could possibly refute the magic we had just witnessed and still be my husband. Thankfully we were both firmly on the same page and spent the ride home rhapsodizing about our experience.

Next up: Japandroids at the Glasshouse on Monday! How the hell can we go wrong with that?

The xx | The Fox Theater in Pomona | 04.17.13

When I first got wind of the so called "Coachella shows" that were going to be announced, I started chanting "XX at the Fox" over and over to Brandon, so I am pretty sure I willed this show into existence  He has been a big fan since he first heard them, but somehow they fell completely under my radar until one day I heard Angels on XM and pretty much lost it. Although their first album didn't do much for me, I couldn't get enough of the second album, Coexist, every song ripping my guts out every time I listened to it. So, of course I was crazy excited at the prospect of seeing them live, and the Fox is one of my very favorite venues, due in no small part to the fact that the drive to Pomona is much more palatable than the trek to LA. It is also a gorgeous building, reminiscent of the Wiltern, and the view from the balcony is wonderful. Being the old fogies that we are, we always choose to sit up there rather than brave the lower area. Little did we know that wouldn't really matter for this show....

Talk about a polarizing night. Leading up to the show, Brandon pulled one of his famous flip flops, and suddenly decided that he doesn't really like The xx anymore and that even though he loves their first album, their latest album sucks. That was news to me, as he seemed as excited about going as I was when we first got the tickets. [Editorial speculation: It sort of seemed like he was just having a bad attitude due to my disinterest in the Polica show as well as the Hannah Georgas album, which he vehemently denies.] So, going into it, I knew he was going to be overly critical but I hoped he would still enjoy it.

Doors were not until 8, so we left pretty late and the drive was traffic free. However, once we got there at around 8:30, the line was still completely wrapped around the entire building. We got in right before 9 and the balcony was already packed but we found a couple of good seats on the aisle, and the seat in front of me was broken so that ensured a great view. Or so we thought...

Opener Nite Jewel went on promptly at 9:01, which was a lovely change from the previous night's long wait. Her set was slightly tedious, but I applaud her bravery for going out there with just her keyboard and rocking it out. The crowd was polite enough and she seemed pleased with their reaction. Little did she know what was simmering just below the surface.

The show was sold out and there was a lot of intense energy filling the house. The second there was even an inkling of movement on the darkened stage, everyone went absolutely ballistic. They were on their feet from the start of the show and never sat back down again, even filling the aisle ways of the balcony in vain attempts to get a better view. Being the personal space person that I am, I was more than a little annoyed at the girl who decided to stand next to my seat in the aisle and creep closer and closer to me throughout the show, finally ending up halfway into my seat. She also kept flipping her hair over her shoulder and whacking me in the face with it, and her boyfriend smacked my arm every time he put his arm around her. Someone almost got shanked, is all I am saying.

The xx came out dressed all in slick black and looking solemn, from what I could see. Of the otherwise spectacular show, my only negative comment would be that a lot of the time the lights were pointed directly out into the audience, so it was hard to make out what was happening onstage. I was immediately overwhelmed by how rich and beautiful their voices sounded. These two clearly have no need for ProTools - their voices were pure and lovely the entire night. I was was also incredibly impressed with the percussion/electronics guy in the back who was definitely earning his paycheck. When I was listening to their music earlier this week I started to wonder what the instrument usage would be and assumed they would rely heavily on synths and other electronic means. I was pleasantly surprised that this guy ran around like a maniac from bass drums to steel drums to keyboards, filling the air with gorgeous, layered sounds. It seemed that the majority of the audience agreed with my assessment of the majesty we were beholding. Every time the singers opened their mouths to sing, they were met with ecstatic screams and cheers. Their stage banter was limited to a few quiet "thank yous" between songs, but at one point Oliver Sim did say something like, "Keep screaming - you're making us feel like One Direction!" I found the sound and lighting to be equally mesmerizing, putting me into sort of a trance even though I wasn't partaking of any of the mind altering substances being enjoyed by those around us. I am going to let you in on a lil secret: I am kind of a weirdo and often find myself tearing up when we go to shows because I become very affected hearing songs I love live. Brandon makes fun of me a lot for this, so I had to fight REALLY hard to keep it to myself last night. I managed to hide it well most of the time but I did let one tear slip during the glorious final song, Angels, my very fave. I just couldn't hold back any longer.

I walked out euphoric, completely blown away by the performance, so it came as quite a surprise when Brandon announced that he thought it was awful. He complained that it was one of the most boring shows he has ever been to, noting that they slowed down even the up tempo songs that he likes to a crawl. "It felt like I was slowly drowning," he said. He was also bothered by the fact that the lighting techs didn't seem to remember the fact that they had lasers at their disposal until 40 minutes into the show and that in spite of all the elaborate staging, they did nothing with the "big white parachute" behind them. Although technically proficient, he said they seemed like they were still hung over from Coachella and that they would rather be sleeping.

In case you're interested in judging for yourself, here's a snippet someone posted of the show. Great example of the crowd's reactions as well.

Not gonna lie, we argued quite a bit on the way home about this show. He finally begrudgingly admitted that it sounded beautiful, but he also claims that he found the vocals muddled and unintelligible half the time which... I wonder if he needs to get his ears checked. There was such an extreme divide between our experiences that I really felt like there had to be an emotional reason behind his passionate disregard for a show that I found to be enthralling.

Another item of note: I never got a good shot of it, but here you can kind of make out the fact that on one side of the Fox theater sign the neon was turned red and the F and O were turned off so it was just a big red X. NO idea if this was intentional or not, but I gotta admit I got chills when B pointed it out. Whether due to serendipity or design, it was a very cool sight.

Next up is Purity Ring, another one of "his" bands that I assumed he would be excited to see. Who knows how tonight will go...

Poliça | The Observatory in Santa Ana | 04.16.13

This will be an insane week, show wise. Thanks to Coachella, lots of amazing shows are happening this week and next at our local venues. We're going to four of those shows, and I am simultaneously thrilled and exhausted just thinking about it. Let's jump right into this mess!

We're easing into it with a nice, calm show at The Observatory with a band Brandon likes called Poliça. (He kept calling them Policia, so I thought it might be a Mexican Police cover band until I looked it up and corrected him.) American band, Polish name. Brandon's interest was sparked because the lead singer was involved with Gayngs. They are a bit boring for me, but of course I am always willing to go to one of B's shows since I drag him along to so many of mine!

The Observatory must still be remodeling the upstairs because they were still seating for dinner downstairs, and the night started off well for us because they gave us one of the booths in the highest tier rather than the uncomfortable tables/chairs. We soon realized this was probably not because we've developed a rapport with the host, but rather because the place was completely dead. Even towards 8pm (supposed show time) there were still maybe only 50 people on the floor, which may have contributed to the delay in starting. Brandon got his fave, the Nebula which is basically a fancy bacon cheeseburger, and a few minutes later we heard the waitress tell another diner that they were out of bacon. After initially high fiving B for getting the last of the bacon, I started thinking that was odd to run out of the item that makes up two of the five entree items. Although the food is very good, they really need to get it together a bit and provide more options, or at the very least be able to provide the few options they do have.

Something we noticed right away was that the dj seemed to be relying pretty heavily on Radiohead for the pre-show music... and then a commercial came on. Apparently on nights like that they are content to use Spotify instead of a live person. This would be fine, but at least spring for the paid version. I struggled to stay awake while listening to all that Radiohead while simultaneously becoming impatient for the show to begin. 

Finally the opener appeared at almost 9, as mentioned. We had joked about their name, Night Moves, with the host when we first got there, singing the Bob Seger song. It's a bit cheesetastic. As soon as they barely strummed their instruments, I said it was gonna be loud and popped in my earplugs. Brandon scoffed at me, and then started whacking me with one hand and the other held out for his own when they commenced playing. It was blown out and uncomfortable to say the least, but the earplugs helped tremendously. Those babies have been lifesavers on more than one occasion. Anyway, this band was was not really noteworthy, except that one of their songs was called Cosmic Titties. I approve.

Poliça went on around 10ish, and I comforted myself in the fact that they only have one album so there was no way they could play for much more than an hour. Pretty negative attitude, I know, but it was my thought process. As I am not a fan and had only heard a couple songs before last night, I can't really comment on how they sounded except that I couldn't understand anything the lead singer said. I kept imagining lyrics based on the sounds she was making and concluded that their songs contain lyrics such as "slap the donkey," "you play with cheese," and "I'll ride your foreskin." Brandon claims none of that is true, but I stand by what I heard. I guess I am just not cool enough to get them. They are from Minnesota, but the lead singer is super pretentious, all twitchy with a weird, with an affected accent. Maybe she is originally from another country, but she claimed she is from Colorado and Minnesota so... yea. No idea what to make of her whole demeanor, which was off putting to me. Brandon pointed out that she reminded him of the short haired chick from The Following, and I couldn't see anything but that when I looked at her going forward. Late in the show she announced something about having self esteem issues which also kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I only nodded off briefly, and it was much more upbeat than I expected. 

Brandon, on the other hand, enjoyed the show very much. He said they were very tight and was extremely impressed that they have no guitar player - just an incredible bassist and two drummers, and then the lead singer doing a bunch of freaky sampling of her own voice and other noises. I thought that part was entertaining. He also really enjoyed the lighting, mostly because of the interesting mix of colors, such as blending fuschia with the blue, or yellow with green, creating an interesting contrast and contributing to the overall vibe.

The highlight for me was that they closed with a cover of Nobody by Keith Sweat, complete with piles of AutoTune and funky beats. Surprising, but strong.

The Joy Formidable | The Observatory in Santa Ana | 03.18.13

Way back in November, we had tickets to see The Joy Formidable, about which I was super excited. Then the week turned into a really effed up, stressful, depressing mess, and we completely forgot to go. Like... we just flat out forgot. It was on the calendar and everything, but we were so busy wallowing that I do believe we just spent that evening snuggling and eating, as is our way. So, when I heard they were going to be at The Observatory I was so pleased that we would finally be able to make up for that error. Even better, they have released a new album since then, so I bet this show was way more exciting than the one we missed! *sour grapes/silver linings*

The first thing we need to report is that it appears that The Observatory is remodeling the balcony where they serve dinner. If you call or go online ahead of time, you can reserve a table and that way you are able to have a seat for the show. We always go for this option because we're old and the standing room there isn't great. Also, their burgers are stellar. Another upside is that there's a private, very clean bathroom up there, which may sound silly but means a lot to me. The past few times we have gone, we noticed that there was a lot of room for improvement up there: the stairs and the edges of the front of the balcony are unfinished, the tables seem to just be plywood, the floor is a bit uneven. This time, they seated us downstairs near the railings because they were doing some more construction up there, which is good news for the future, but was kind of crappy for this show. It was hard to see because there were people standing in front of us on the same level. Most of the people who went to the effort and expense to reserve tables ended up standing the entire show. Kind of a bummer. At one point a couple of young girls went to sit in the booth on the level below us, and when one of them attempted to sit on the back edge of the seat so that she would be directly in front of me I just glared at her and shook my head. She slunk back down, quite chastened. I was simultaneously proud for standing up for myself and kind of ashamed for being "that" lady.

The opener was perfectly passable but nothing really all too exciting. Comprised of five squirrelly little guys, the lead singer was quite mumble mouthed so we spent a good portion of their set debating what he said their name was: Fartilene, Fart in a Mitten, Fleur de Lis, Far Lean, Fort Wayne, Furtively. This was their first show in California, and their lack of stage presence made me wonder if they had played many shows at all. They kept (sarcastically?) saying how nice we were when the crowd politely clapped after each song, and asked if everyone is like that in California. At the end we expected them to say their name again, but no - they just finished and shambled quietly offstage. B was sure it was Olean, so I made him go to the merch table to find out. Supposedly, their name was actually Fort Lean, but Brandon is pretty sure their printer just couldn't understand them and went with that. "Either way, I don't give a poop," he claimed.

On to the show! The Joy Formidable is a band from Wales, so of course my attraction comes partly from the adorable accent of the icy blond pixie of a lead singer (named Ritzy... come ON). I had a feeling they would be a "jump around nonstop and have a damn good time" type of band, and they sure were. They make a LOT of noise for just three people. Before they even came onstage, I was delighted by the giant wolf head cutout on the stage, clearly in honor of their new album, Wolf's Law. 

Look, it may seem superficial, but I really appreciate a bit of stagecraft. It doesn't have to be crazy or dramatic, but do a lil something with your set and it buys you a ton of goodwill with me. I whispered to Brandon that I hoped it would howl or something, and he stoically said they are probably just going to project something onto it. We were both right! As soon as the lights went down, the theater was filled with wild wolf howls and the edges of the cutout started to sparkle. I was thrilled! For the entirety of the show, they projected images or abstract designs on the entire white background. Very fun. We both really enjoyed the odd stage setup as well, with the drummer sideways on the right (we were seated to the left of the stage, so we had a great view of him) and he had a GIANT gong behind him. Although that didn't really seem to come into play till the last song, it was a very cool visual. In fact, we were really impressed with all of the visuals, including the lighting, but they did rely a bit too heavily on the strobe. That would probably be our only complaint.

The set list was great and they put an even more raucous, crazed spin on their already hyper songs. However, the standout for us was the beautiful, acoustic Silent Treatment. We were more than a little peeved at the loud people in the bar area completely disregarding the song at first, but they quickly realized that something pretty magical was happening onstage and they settled down. The show ended with my very favorite song of theirs, Whirring, which they turned into an extended eardrum blasting explosion of pure joy. You could say it was quite formidable. ;o)

Matt & Kim | The Observatory in Santa Ana | 03.09.13

Anyone who knows us at all knows that we go to a lot of shows. A LOT of shows. It makes sense to us, because we love music and we basically met at a concert. Live music is probably my second favorite thing in the world and I would choose it over pretty much any other pastime. The recent re-fashioning of the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana to become The Observatory has resulted in a plethora of incredible bands appearing right in our backyard, so it's made it even more feasible for us to load up our always busy calendar with concerts. So, Brandon decided we should start blogging about our experiences, both as a good way to preserve the memories for ourselves and to share them with others. I thought that sounded like WAY more fun than 100 Movies of Summer ever was, so I agreed to give it a shot.

Let's start out with a wild one, shall we? Matt & Kim have been on my radar since I first heard Yea Yeah on XM several years ago. When I saw the hilarious video I was completely hooked. They have had little sprinkles of notoriety here and there, with their songs being used in commercials and tv shows, and most notably for the video for Lessons Learned in which they ran naked through Times Square. Recently they were contacted by the Guinness Book of World Records and informed they hold the record for the largest number of people performing the Harlem Shake  (how is that even a record?? they didn't realize it either at the time).

I was thrilled that they were going to be in town so I snapped up the tickets immediately. B was less enthused but I assured him it was going to be an incredible show. They didn't disappoint. Before we get to the main act, however, I must give honorable mention to opener PAPA. These guys were actually quite good, and bonus points for having a song called Let's Make You Pregnant as well as having a guitar player who totally looked like he was cosplaying Marshall Lee from Adventure Time.

When Matt & Kim finally hit the stage, they were welcomed by the loudest cheer I have ever heard at that venue. The sold out crowd (including a bunch of people dressed like bananas) went absolutely berserk and that energy did not wane the entire show. A gigantic smile was plastered across my face as I watched the enthusiastic pair blast through all of their hits and more, with foul-mouthed little firecracker Kim often playing the drums while standing up on her stool and Gumby-esque Matt twisting himself into all sorts of poses as he slammed out the tunes on the keyboard. One of the highlights of the show occurred early on when they threw a bag of balloons out into the crowd, showered the fans with confetti, and asked them to blow up said balloons and wave them around during the next song. The effect was absolutely magical and I could barely contain my excitement. I would wager that most everyone in the room felt the same all night. Kim often encouraged the crowd to sing or dance along with them, repeating over and over, "We do this shit TOGETHER" and everyone was happy to oblige. The duo seemed genuinely happy and excited to be there, explaining that this was their first headlining show in quite a while as they were just coming off a supporting gig during which they would play at most 45 minutes each night. Much to my great delight, when they sang Yea Yeah, the song that brought the band to me way back when, Kim demanded that the bananas crowd surf for that one, and crowd surf they did. She returned the favor later in the show by "walking" on top of the crowd a few feet out into the audience. This was cut a bit short because of a leg injury she sustained recently (apparently she fell down some stairs while texting) and had to wear what Matt referred to as a "medical boot," which seemed to hamper her progress a bit. You would never have guessed she was at less that 100%, however, because she spent the majority of her time hopping, strutting, and wiggling her butt around the stage, sometimes on top of her bass drum. In fact, at one point when she was bent over shaking her butt at us, Matt went around and treated it like a bongo. She was sooooooooooooooooooo so much fun to watch.

This is my favorite type of show, because although I don't have the biggest emotional connection to the band, I knew that they would go out there and put on a SHOW for us. I felt nothing but pure, unadulterated happiness the entire time I was witnessing the spectacle, which is exactly what I was hoping would happen. If there is ever a moment that I wonder why I spend so much of my time and money watching live music, all I have to do is read this entry and remember the feeling I get when I do.