This was the third time I’d seen Frankie and the Witch Fingers in as many months (and the last time I’d see them in 2021), and they played a wild set in a small club that included some new, unreleased material.
I’m not sure how I hadn’t seen Danzig in concert until now, but he and his crew put on a good show. They played Lucifuge in its entirety and plenty of other tracks – including a long encore missed by at least half the crowd.
In the middle of the Psycho Music Festival, which is heavy on metal of all sorts, Claude Fontaine came onstage at the Mandalay Bay House of Blues and put on the most beautiful set of the entire festival. Backed by two percussionists and a guy on acoustic guitar, she performed gorgeous bossa nova and dub tracks for her first show ever in the Sin City. Shame on you if you missed it.\
Playing as the sun set and the moon rose, Death Valley Girls were a highlight of the “Psycho Swim” opening night of the 2021 Psycho Music Festival in Las Vegas. Like pretty much everyone there, it was their first gig in nearly two years and their excitement was palpable.
#6: The Flaming Lips – Psycho Music Festival – August 21st
It’s always a joy to see The Flaming Lips, and hearing their uplifting songs and soaking up the energy from the loving crowd was just what we needed as we returned to live music and hope. This show will always have a special place in my heart, as it was the last time my late wife was able to see them. Their shows always boosted her spirit.
Who’s in the top five? You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to learn!
Live shows made a comeback in 2021, thank heavens, but many were still canceled or postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. As a result, I only saw 35 live bands this year. Cutting that list in half (or thereabouts) to save time, here’s the start of my top fifteen concerts of 2021.
#15: Acid Dad – Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s Brass Rail – October 08th
I’d only heard a couple tracks by Acid Dad before seeing them live, and they didn’t fail to impress everyone at the Brass Rail. It was a rocking show of groovy psych-rock with hints of surf and garage rock.
This was the first time I’d seen Protomartyr live as well, and it was a fine show indeed with a ton of great post-punk rock in front of an excited crowd of fellow Michiganders.
#13: Stöner – Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s Piere’s – September 29th
This was two firsts in one, both seeing and hearing Stöner for the first time. They played a cool heavy set of desert rock and won over a lot of fans (including yours truly) at this show. Their shirts and LPs were flying off their merch table after their set.
#12: King Buffalo – Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s Piere’s – September 29th
Yes, the same show. King Buffalo were the first of three bands that night (the third being Clutch). I’d heard of King Buffalo before, but only a couple songs. They played an excellent set of psychedelic rock that set the table for the rest of the night.
#11: All Them Witches – Chicago’s Metro – December 16th
This was the last show I saw in 2021, and ATW put on a solid set of heavy psychedelia. It was the last show of their tour before a break until they played a series of shows around New Year’s Eve.
Who’s in the top ten? Come back tomorrow to learn!
The Big Ears Music Festival returns March 24-27, 2022 to downtown Knoxville, TN with its most adventurous and multi-dimensional line up to date. The four-day weekend will feature over 100 concerts—gathering groundbreaking composers, virtuoso instrumentalists, singular bands, improvisers and DJs, icons, and upstarts—creating an exhilarating and kaleidoscopic musical experience like none other.
This year—returning for the first time since 2019—Big Ears is upping the ante. Boundary-pushing rockers from Sparks and Kim Gordon to Animal Collective and Efterklang; a mind-expanding journey into the rich musical world of New Orleans and the deep Haitian and Cuban forces that fuel it, including Preservation Hall Jazz Band, RAM, Pedrito Martinez, Leyla McCalla, and Dafnis Prieto; and visionary genre-defying young voices, from Moses Sumney, Arooj Aftab, and Lido Pimienta to Yves Tumor, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Alabaster DePlume, and Dawn Richard offer just a hint of the breathtaking artistic diversity at this year’s Big Ears.
All-too-rare in North America outside of New York City, the prolific, iconoclastic composer/instrumentalist John Zorn will present eight concerts spanning some of his most recent work—among them the dazzling virtuoso guitar trio of Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, and Gyan Riley; songs written with lyricist Jesse Harris for Petra Haden; the “heavy metal” Hammond B-3 organ trio fronted by John Medeski; and the New Masada Quartet. Additionally, Terry Allen, Bill Callahan, Joe Henry, Cassandra Jenkins, Hadestown-creator Anais Mitchell (Bonny Light Horseman), and Andy Shauf will share their contributions to a new alternative American Songbook.
There’s a jazz festival within the festival, presenting titans like Andrew Cyrille, Jason Moran, and Ron Miles, powerful younger players like Ambrose Akinmusire, Kris Davis, and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and the movers and shakers of the fresh, vital new jazz scenes in Chicago and London—Jaimie Branch, Damon Locks, Angel Bat Dawid, Sons of Kemet, and Nubya Garcia.
The iconic composer/vocal pioneer Meredith Monk returns, collaborating with Bang on a Can All-Stars for the live world-premiere performance of Memory Games, as well as an intimate duo performance with percussionist John Hollenbeck. The renowned Kronos Quartet will return to present their collaboration with filmmaker, Sam Green, A Thousand Thoughts, along with a second special program, and genre-defying legend Annette Peacock will offer a rare solo performance.
A new generation of visionary composers/performers will also showcase new work. Among them: 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw will perform her collaboration with SōPercussion; 2019 Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Reid will present the live premiere of her Soundwalk Ensemble; composer/singer/flutist Nathalie Joachim will perform Femn d’Ayiti celebrating her Haitian heritage with Spektral Quartet; composer Tristan Perich will unveil a new piece for organ, performed by James McVinnie, one-bit electronics and 100 loudspeakers; and San Fermin’s Ellis Ludwig-Leone will premiere a new in-progress chamber opera.
There is, of course, much more. The full line up of confirmed artists is at bigearsfestival.org with more performers and special programs, films, readings, talks, exhibitions, happenings, parties, and surprises still to be announced.
In 2017 Midnight Oil returned from a long hiatus with a sweat drenched pub gig at the legendary Sydney venue, Selina’s. In the middle of that special set, frontman Peter Garrett borrowed some famous lines, exhorting “rage, rage, against the dying of the light”. And that’s exactly what they’ve done ever since. They sold out 77 shows in 16 countries on their epic “Great Circle” tour. They toured Europe again, did a memorable gig in the outback, then returned to the studio for the first time in over 18 years and recorded 20 new songs. The first batch of that material, The Makarrata Project, debuted at #1 on the same weekend that longtime bass player Bones Hillman sadly died. Despite that profound blow, and a global pandemic, the band and their First Nations Collaborators still mounted their acclaimed “Makarrata Live” shows early this year – championing the Uluru Statement and highlighting ongoing injustices suffered by First Nations people.
Today Midnight Oil announced that this chapter of their career will come to a memorable close next year with the release of the other 12 new songs they recorded with Bones and a series of big gigs. Both are aptly titled Resist.
The band also announced that this will be their final concert tour while making it clear that this does not mean the end of the Oils. Each of the members will continue their own projects over the years ahead. They remain very open to recording new music together in future and supporting causes in which they believe but this will be their last tour.
Meanwhile Resist will be a fitting, forward looking, statement for a band whose clarion call has always been “it’s better to die on your feet than live on your knees”. The tour will see them performing classic Midnight Oil songs from across their repertoire while also showcasing some urgent new works. As the title makes abundantly clear, Resist engages with the issues of today and tomorrow – like the lead single “Rising Seas” which tackles the climate crisis in typically uncompromising fashion.
The album pre-order and Australasian tickets will go on-sale from next Tuesday 30 November. Dates, venues and all other info is listed at midnightoil.com/tour. A handful of international concerts is also being considered (subject to Covid restrictions).
Rob Hirst says: “If I look back, I see a blur of familiar names and faces: Jim, Pete, Martin, Bear and me, slamming loud prog-pop in a Chatswood garage; Giffo, magnificent, rocking back and forth at his first Royal Antler gig; Bonesy, headphones on, singing, lounging on the deck learning our catalogue.
I see our managers in their offices – Gary, Zev and John; our tour managers in their cars and buses – Constance, Neil, and Willie Mac; our producers in their studios, Keith, Lez, Glyn, Nick and Warne; and our crew on countless stages, Michael, Oysters, Ozzy, Doc, Nick, Jock, Gerry – and so many more.
I see our folks-in-the-engine-room that the outside world has never seen: Stephanie, Wayne, Diana, Arlene, Jonesy, Craig, Geoff H, Chris P, Peter T, and Mel C.
I see our wives and trusted friends, and the tiny faces of the ‘Baby Oils’, watching us from side of stage, from Sydney to Sao Paulo to Saskatoon.
But mostly, blinded by stage lights, I see the first two rows of a thousand gigs: Midnight Oil fans, pumping, jumping, singing louder than the band.
But I don’t look back.”
Peter Garrett says: “We all know time refuses to stand still for anyone but after many years together the band’s spirit is deep, the music and words are strong, and our ideas and actions as bold as we can make them. We’ve reached people in ways we never could have imagined. Our desire to create and speak out is undimmed. We hope everyone who hears this album and gets to one of the shows will come away charged up about the planet’s future, saying ‘why stop now?’. Having always tackled every tour like it’s the last – this time it actually will be.”
Jim Moginie says “We’ve played intensely physical gigs since our humble beginnings back in 1977 and we never want to take even the slightest risk of compromising that. A lot has happened over the last five years. Much has been achieved and with the passing of Bones much has been lost, so it now feels like we’re at the end of a cycle.
These will be sad and beautiful gigs but luckily we’re still capable of blowing the roof off any stage and that’s what we intend to do. You could call this a farewell tour, but Midnight Oil will still continue in some form or other as we’re brothers, family. We stand as one, dependent on each other and grateful in all the important ways that make great bands great.”
Martin Rotsey says: “A huge thank you to all our fans around the world. We’ve shared so much together from the swelter of Sydney pubs to magical nights under starry skies. Your energy took us further than we could ever have dreamed.
To those down the front in the maelstrom, those at the back of the room singing their hearts out, and all of those onstage, backstage, and back home who helped make everything possible, we send our thanks.”
From the northern beaches of Sydney to the streets of Manhattan, they have stopped traffic, inflamed passions, inspired fans, challenged the concepts of “business as usual” and broken much new ground. Seeing Midnight Oil in full flight is to experience the kinetic power of live rock’n’roll. They leave you inspired to live life more passionately and to Resist.
Midnight Oil calls for governments to urgently take serious actions that reduce carbon pollution. This tour will embrace best practices for emission reductions and offsetting. A portion of proceeds will be set aside for organizations seeking to elevate the existential threat posed by the climate crisis.
Members of Midnight Oil’s mailing list will have exclusive first access to Australian tickets. Anyone who signs up by 5pm Monday November 29, will receive a dedicated email later that evening, containing the presale ticketing link and password which can be used to purchase up to 8 tickets per show. Presales are expected to sell out quickly so fans are strongly advised to make sure they are logged into the ticketing agency website prior to the onsale times. Members of the General Public, including anyone who missed out on the presale, will then have access to tickets from Wednesday December 1. See below for ticketing information, and visit midnightoil.com/tour for specific show dates and information.
In addition to these shows, the band has already announced special appearances in Tasmania for Mona Foma 2022 and at Byron Bay Bluesfest next Easter. Details about those festival events at monafoma.net.au and bluesfest.com.au
Matching with an accompanying concert film, The Beths‘ Auckland, New Zealand, 2020captures the band’s performance at Auckland Town Hall during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in one of the few countries that took the pandemic seriously at the time and was still able to hold live music events. The band’s joy at performing in front of a home crowd, and after so long of not being able to do so, is heard in every note – as is the bliss of the crowd.
The cheers before the opener of “I’m Not Getting Excited” are infectious, as is the opening guitar riff from Jonathan Pearce as Elizabeth Stokes actually encourages the audience to get so excited that their heads might explode. “Great No One” rocks and rolls straight into “Whatever” – with the whole crowd yelling / singing the title (and pretty much everything else) along with the band. “It’s not just the dawn that breaks,” Stokes sings on the sizzling “Mars (The God of War)” – a song about wishing she could move beyond a bad break-up.
The live version of “Future Me Hates Me” is as bouncy and loud as you’d hope it would be. “Jump Rope Gazers” is just as lovely live as on the album of the same name, if not more so. “Uptown Girl” blasts by you with some of Tristan Deck‘s fiercest drumming. His beats on “Happy Unhappy” get you dancing.
“Out of Sight” makes the turn toward the final act of the show, with Stokes thanking everyone behind the scenes at the show afterwards. You can hear the emotion in Stokes’ voice as she thanks the crowd before the band launches into “Don’t Go Away.” Benjamin Sinclair‘s bass line on “Little Death” is like a hummingbird zipping around the room. “Dying to Believe” closes the show, with the entire crowd singing along, before the band comes back for an encore of “River Run” that fades into a blissful state.
Not only is this a joyful recording, it’s also a good-sounding one. Stokes points out at one point that the sound crew has to work in a large, echoing chamber – and they do it quite well.
Earlier this year, CHAI released WINK, their Sub Pop debut that “maintain[s] the unwavering commitment to self-love and community that makes their music so endearing” (Pitchfork). This embracement of community is often found in their electric live shows, and today, CHAI announce their WINK TOGETHER NORTH AMERICA TOUR, plus a sold-out west coast run supporting Mitski. For a preview of what to expect at one of CHAI’s fun, aesthetic driven shows, watch the tour trailer below. WATCH CHAI’S TOUR TRAILER
CHAI TOUR DATES (NEW HEADLINE DATES) Fri. Feb. 4 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall Sat. Feb. 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club Sun. Feb. 6 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry Wed. Feb. 9 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace Fri. Feb. 11 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Sat. Feb. 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry Sun. Feb. 13 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage Tue. Feb. 15 – Brooklyn NY @ Elsewhere Thu. Feb. 17 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * – SOLD OUT Fri. Feb. 18 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz * – SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern * – SOLD OUT Mon. Feb. 21 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City * – SOLD OUT Tue. Feb. 22 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre * – SOLD OUT Thu. Feb. 24 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Outside Lawn) * – SOLD OUT Fri. Feb. 25 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory * – SOLD OUT Sat. Feb. 26 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater * – SOLD OUT Mon. Feb. 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * – SOLD OUT Wed. March 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * – SOLD OUT Thu. March 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall * – SOLD OUT Fri. March 4 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * – SOLD OUT Sat. March 5 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * – SOLD OUT Mon. March 7 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall * – SOLD OUT Wed. March 9 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * – SOLD OUT Thu. March 10 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre * – SOLD OUT Sat. March 12 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile Sun. March 13 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge Tue. March 15 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club Thu. March 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *= supporting Mitski
Zipping over from their native Detroit (and sold-out shows there), Protomartyr came back to Kalamazoo, Michigan to make up for a cancelled show that was dropped due to, what else, the pandemic.
Opening for them were some other Michiganders, the punky trio of Erik Nervous, who might have the greatest kick drum head ever designed.
They played a fun batch of post-punk, full of weird guitar riffs, pogo-inducing beats, and snappy bass. They even got in a fun jab at Protomartyr, referring to them as “Joy Division 2.0.”
Erik Nervous showing no stage fright whatsoever.
Protomartyr (who lead singer Joe Casey claimed to be “Back in, well, not fighting shape. More like competitive eating shape.”) packed in a good crowd, and were soon flooring everyone with their mix of post-punk, prog rock, spoken word riffs, angry shouts, and spooky chants – most of those, by the way, were provided by the one and only Kelley Deal joining them onstage to sing and play guitar and synths.
Standouts included “Cowards Starve,” which came out like a sermon from the end of a bar, “Jumbo’s” – a song about a bar, the crowd-favorite “Michigan Hammers,” “Processed by the Boys,” and a new track – “Graft V.”
Protomartyr letting us know that frightened people go hungry.
It was a solid show, and Mr. Casey and Ms. Deal were a pleasure to meet afterwards. Catch them live if you can. Protomartyr sound like no one else – live or otherwise.
Keep your mind open.
Joe Casey kept pulling drinks out of his suit jacket like a stage magician.
This live recording from the ever-prolific, ever-bonkers Osees, finds them on the last night of a set of gigs in one of their practical backyards – The Chapel in San Francisco – just before the pandemic fully hit the United States and shut down band tours for over a year. The band had no idea that shutdown was coming, of course, but they played (like they always do) like it might be their last show for a while.
The show starts with the instant mosh pit-inducing “Static God” with John Dwyer asking for a cigarette and wondering “What’s it like beneath the rubble?” while he and his bandmates go nuts. “Jettisoned” takes off into psychedelic territory with Dwyer’s soaring solo and Tom Dolan‘s trippy synths.
A shortened (yet still over seven minutes) version of “Henchlock” follows. It’s a brilliant psych. “Together Tomorrow” is a bit of a psych-rock appetizer to the massive, calorie-laden meal of “Animated Violence.” As if that weren’t crazy enough, along comes “Gholu,” during which drummers Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone seem to challenge each other in a contest of who can be the first to beat their kit through the floor.
“Plastic Plant” is one that the Osees don’t often play live, but it’s always great when they do. Dolan’s fat synths compliment well with Tim Hellman‘s wicked bass riffs. “C” is a funky one, with Dolan’s synths again taking on a lead role, sometimes more than Dwyer’s guitar. “Nite Expo” goes from plucky synths to rowdy guitar in a nearly neck-wrenching moment. The closer, “Encrypted Bounce,” is over fourteen minutes of wild psych mixed with garage rock mixed with chaos (translation: It’s outstanding.).
Don’t miss this if you’re a fan of Osees, or even live music in general. They’re one of the best live bands on the planet right now, and this is a great recording of their energy.
London-based band Dry Cleaning continues their incredible year with a spring 2022 North American tour. Their debut album, New Long Leg, out now via 4AD, is one of 2021’s most praised albums thus far, championed by The New York Times, Pitchfork, New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, and more. Since its release, the band has completely sold out their US fall run, which starts this Wednesday at Los Angeles’ Teragram Ballroom. The spring 2022 leg will see the band visiting many US cities for the first-time ever. Tickets for these shows will go on sale Friday, Nov. 12th at 12pm EST, but will be sure to sell out quickly, so the band is offering a pre-sale to all subscribers of their mailing list, which will be live Wednesday, Nov. 10th at 10am EST.. A full list of dates can be found below.
DRY CLEANING TOUR DATES (new dates in bold) Wed. Nov. 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom – SOLD OUT Thu. Nov. 11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel – SOLD OUT Sat. Nov. 13 – Portland, OR @ Vitalidad Movement Arts Center – SOLD OUT Sun. Nov. 14 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theater – SOLD OUT Tue. Nov. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle – SOLD OUT Wed. Nov. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle – SOLD OUT Fri. Nov. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel – SOLD OUT Sat. Nov. 20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel – SOLD OUT Sat. Nov. 27 – Nottingham, UK @ Nottingham Arena ^ Tue. Nov. 30 – Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed ^ Wed. Dec. 1 – Hebden Bridge, UK @ Trades Club – SOLD OUT ^ Thu. Dec. 2 – Norwich, UK @ Norwich Arts Centre – SOLD OUT ^ Fri. Dec. 3 – Brighton, UK @ The Dome ^ Wed. Jan. 19, 2022 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie * Thu. Jan. 20, 2022 – Lyon, FR @ Le Périscope * Fri. Jan. 21, 2022 – Milan, IT @ Circolo Magnolia * Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 – Bologna, IT @ Covo Club * Mon. Jan. 24, 2022 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea * Tue. Jan. 25, 2022 – Prague, CZ @ Futurum * Wed. Jan. 26, 2022 Berlin, DE @ SO 36* Fri. Jan. 28, 2022 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen – SOLD OUT * Sat. Jan. 29, 2022 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow * Mon. Jan. 31, 2022 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje * Tue. Feb. 1, 2022 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie, Botanique * Wed. Feb. 2, 2022 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord – SOLD OUT * Fri. Feb. 4, 2022 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown – SOLD OUT * Sat. Feb. 5, 2022 – Tourcoing (Lille), FR @ Le Grand Mix * Mon. Feb. 14, 2022 – Liverpool, UK @ Arts Club Theatre % Tue. Feb. 15, 2022 – Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory – SOLD OUT % Wed. Feb. 16, 2022 – Belfast, IE @ Empire Music Hall % Fri. Feb. 18, 2022 – Edinburgh, UK @ Summerhall – SOLD OUT % Sat. Feb. 19, 2022 – Glasgow, UK @, Queen Margaret Union (Venue upgrade) % Sun. Feb. 20, 2022 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club – SOLD OUT % Tue. Feb. 22, 2022 – Birmingham, UK @ The Mill % Wed. Feb. 23, 2022 – Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory % Fri. Feb. 25, 2022 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 2 – SOLD OUT % Sat. Feb. 26, 2022 – Sheffield, UK @ Leadmill % Sun. Feb. 27, 2022 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms – SOLD OUT % Tue. March 1, 2022 – Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms % Wed. March 2, 2022 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2 – SOLD OUT % Thu. March 3, 2022 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town % Wed. March 30 – Leicester, UK @ O2 Academy & Thu. March 31 – Cambridge, UK @ The Junction & Fri. April 1 – Manchester, UK @ Strage Waves @ The Ritz Sat. April 2 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop & Thu. May 12 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern Fri. May 13 – Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Fairmount Sun. May 15 – Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom Tue. May 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church Wed. May 18 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall Thu. May 19 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar Fri. May 20 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Sat. May 21 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Mon. May 23 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Tue. May 24 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Wed. May 25 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Sat. May 28 – Mexico City, Mexico @ Palacio de los Deportes w/ Interpol
Live at Levitationis a collection of six tracks from The Black Angels(who, among many other hats they wear, help curate and organize the annual Levitation Music Festivals in Austin, Texas and Angers, France) taken from the 2010 – 2012 festivals and band lineups.
Opening track “Manipulation,” for instance, includes Elephant Stone‘s Rishi Dhir on sitar while Alex Maas‘ vocals knock over the back wall of the venue. Christian Bland‘s guitar on “Better Off Alone” sounds like it, his pedals, and his amps are all on fire. The live version of “Surf City” included on the album is raw and rough, bordering on dangerous.
“You on the Run” is a personal favorite, and it always slays live – as it does here with cranked fuzz and menace. “Empire” is a special treat, as The Black Angels don’t often perform it live. It’s a psych-trip and brings things down to Earth…for a moment, as the closer is one of their biggest hits – “Young Men Dead,” which hearing live is like standing in front of a roaring dragon. This is especially true due to Stephanie Bailey‘s thunderous drum beats, which always threaten to destroy everything around her.
It’s a must-own album for fans of the band, the Austin music scene, or psych-rock. It also further establishes The Black Angels as one of the most powerful live bands out there.
Keep your mind open.
[Levitate over to the subscription box while you’re here.]
