Upcoming Show Alert

There's a whole slew of great shows coming up. In order, we have:

June 2: Cocorosie at the Bowery Ballroom
June 3: Snow Patrol at Roseland
June 8: Hurrah Torpedo at Avalon (at Avalon, I ask you???)
June 9: Gogol Bordello at Irving Plaza
June 11: Stiff Little Fingers at Irving Plaza
June 12: The Buzzcocks at Irving Plaza
June 16-17: Nine Inch Nails and Bauhaus at PNC, then Jones Beach
June 28: Gil Mantera's Party Dream & the Harlem Shakes at Knitting Factory
June 29: We are Scientists at the Warsaw
June 30: The Futureheads & French Kicks at Webter Hall
July 1: Echo & the Bunneymen at Irving Plaza
July 5: The Rakes at Bowery Ballroom
July 6: Broken Social Scene at Prospect Park
July 11: The Buzzcocks at Warsaw
July 15: The Siren Fest at Coney Island
July 28: The Editors at Irving Plaza
July 29: Block Party at McCarren Pool
July 30: Of Montreal at mcCarren Pool
August 2: Sleater Kinney at Webster Hall
September 19: Nouvelle Vague at Bowery Ballroom

The Editors & Stellastarr* at Warsaw

Killer show last night. Stellastarr* were good, very good (they played with The Editors' electricity *last* night, at Bowery), but The Editors were just that much better. Remarkably tight playing, especially for a young band. Pics for your pleasure: Editors on top, Stellastarr* on bottom.

Review: Stellastarr* at the Bowery Ballroom

New York's own Stellastarr* played a sizzling set last night at the Bowery Ballroom. I first caught up with the band two years ago when they opened for Placebo at Webster Hall. Some background: while Placebo sounded perfect & magical, Stellastarr*'s sound at that earlier show suffered, seeming thin and a bit harsh. At the time I chalked it up to poor mixing from the soundboard and bad monitors. Even though the band's playing could have been a bit tighter, they had such a solid basis and exuded such a charming earnestness that they won me over.

In short, the band has amazingly matured in a short period of time - last year's Irving Plaza show was phenomenal, confident and aggressive. Last night the band showed off a newfound intensity which they punched through the roof. The set favored their first album, including crowd pleasers Pulp Song which closed out the first part of the set, and Coco which they launched into upon taking the stage for an encore.

I nabbed a spot at the stage in front of guitarist Michael Jurin (pictured) where I could dance and enjoy lead singer Shawn Christensen's fireworks.

Oh yeah. And I got the setlist. Yeah, yeah, so bite me, already!

Review: The Gossip at the Knitting Factory

Olympia, Washington's The Gossip played a great little concert Saturday night at the Knitting Factory. The venue was packed to the ceiling - literally! I slipped upstairs into the balcony in the far back, where I squeezed onto a couch, with my head scraping the ceiling. The place was suffocatingly packed and I'd normally gripe about such a rotten seat, but at least I could see, unlike a lot of people, and didn't have a pack of sixteen year olds hanging off my ass. At one point, a petrified slice of lime fell on my head from out of nowhere. Now *that* was disgusting... The show was so good, I still stayed.

Lead singer Beth Ditto has a stage presence that has to be seen to be believed; it's at once charismatic, ballsy, smart and sweet. She had the entire Factory crowd in the palm of her hand. And with her bluesy growl, the girl could wipe the floor with the Bravery's Sam Endicott, who tries, but never quite manages, to channel the same punk attitude. Beth doesn't have the biggest range I've ever heard, but she really knows how to use her voice. The night was just magic. And I even got in plenty of dancing on my wee spot on the couch...!

3 Bands, 2 Venues: A night spent on Houston

Summer Lawns 04
Originally uploaded by woxy.

The gang came out with me to see the Summer Lawns (pictured) on Saturday night. The band were great. It's the second time I've seen them, both times at the Mercury. Last time they opened for my friend Mark Geary and on Saturday they were sandwiched in the middle of a four band bill. I met their lead singer, Jeremy, who's quite tall and turns out is a really nice guy. That night he was channelling Joaquin Phoenix channelling Johnny Cash in The Man in Black (black suit & tie) and opened the SL's set with an amazing solo cover/reworking of Bowie's "Let's Dance" - quietly, hypnotically playing guitar. He made the song sound so haunted and full of pain. The band haven't recorded it yet, but I remain hopeful....

Next band up was King of France; they're okay and this was second time I've seen them too, but I'm not crazy about Steve Salad's vocals. The guys' nice, though. Last time we saw them he actually complimented me on my bag. Heh. We had to duck out right in the middle of their set and head down Houston to catch my friend Dave's band the Originators at the Parkside.

Because I'm such a nice concert going babe, I told the KoF's keyboardist we'd be leaving - after all, we *were* standing right by the stage. Didn't want the guys to think we thought they were awful or that we were ridiculously rude. He started laughing and asked if I'd secretlly brought any tomatoes.... The guitarist from Robbers on High Street, Steve, was in the audience right behind me, completely wasted and acting like a jerk.

Down the street The Originators went on delayed at midnight. The band are working a punk/ska thiing and have some good hooks. It was awesome to see Dave again after three years.

After they wrapped up and my friends called it a night, I walked down Houston to 7th Ave and went upstairs at Luke & Leroy's for an hour of dancing to unwind. The one song I really needed to hear - Last of the International Playboys - came up five songs into my wee spin on the dancefloor. Kept a good mood, despite the young, awkward, possibly stoned boy who kept bumping into me "on accident" every other minute and kept stalking across the dancefloor. No matter where I moved, there he was too. I was good, however, and did not kick him with my steel-toe combat boots.

On the L ride home I got to chatting with three absolutely wasted, but charmingly so, guys, headed out, if you can believe it - for yet more bar hopping off the Morgan stop, the land of projects, packs of roaming dogs, chop shops, meat packing plants and muggers. One guy said something incomprehensible to me about poo (!) and another recommended a nearby gallery Tastes Like Chicken. Have I ever mentioned how much I love being out at 4am??

In other news, bartenders have been lining up all week long to buy me what I've taken to calling 'pity coffee'; I've been on antibiotics for my cold and can't touch the good stuff. God rest their merry souls - these guys clearly recognize a woman in distress when she shows up in front of them and orders a coffee or juice with mournful eyes.... I've been reduced to wafting fumes from friends' beers for days now. Yes, that pathetic.

I've had the Editors' "Munich" on repeat all week long, bouncing down the street walking to and fro engagements. Yes, they sound like Interpol, but I don't care...

Damn, that's a lot of guitars: Broken Social Scene at Webster Hall

Broken Social Scene Concert
Originally uploaded by aclumsythief.

Canada's indie scenesters Broken Social Scene took the stage at Webster Hall last night at 9pm for the first of three high-energy, sold out shows. There were no opening bands, just the Broken Social, and nothing but the Broken Social.

"Band" is perhaps a misnomer for this sprawling collective of musicians. BSS started the night off with 8 - yes, 8 - people on stage: 6 guys on guitar, a girl on violin, and 1 drummer, before swelling to a critical mass of 15, which saw 5 trumpeters, 1 guy on sax, 1 on trombone, and 2 drummers all on stage at one time. The net result was a layered, lush wall-of-guitars sound. The band's energy was sky-high and the whole crew was clearly having a lot of fun. And for once, Webster Hall had a band properly mic'ed: lead singer Kevin Drew's vocals shown, and weren't lost in a muddy soundscape as is usually and unfortunately the case with Webster.

BSS opened the evening with a brilliant cover/re-imagining of New Order's Love Vigilantes that had me gasping in recognition half way through with a "holy sh*t? is this new order?!"

Webster Hall is also a cheesy dance club as well as a concert hall, and the club starts up at 10p or so, on the floor directly below the concert stage. During a quiet moment between songs, Kevin and the audience heard the booming bass thumping from downstairs and got a good bit pissed. He snarked on the club-goers downstairs, who had 'paid $27 to find the love of their lives.... in a basement.'

Metric fans might not know that Metric lead singer Emily is also a part of BSS, and she joined the collective onstage for a number of sharply delivered songs.

Lisa Lobsinger, on additional vocals, moved in an exagerated slo-mo back and forth across the stage all night long, as if she were walking under water. It just seemed.... wierd....

BSS played for nearly 2 and a half hours without a break or an encore before calling it a night. Before heading off stage, Kevin went down amonst the audience and generously distributed hugs to everyone he could reach.

Yes! Mild Winter Concert Explosion

Art Brut - (Dirty Pretty Things, Infinity, 7th June 2004)
Originally uploaded by andrewkendall.

A small slew (yes, I know that's contradictory) of shows has just been announced.

First up, we have the venerable (he'd probably hate being referred to as 'venerable', but hey) Mr. Henry Rollins who'll be at Town Hall on February 16th. The show'll be taped and later shown on the IFC. And if you don't know who Henry is, well... oh hell. Just go here.

Next up, on Saturday February 25 are the old dance/industrial band My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult who'll be playing at Avalon. The place'll be a veritable sea of balding/aging industrial boys in tattered black leather jackets, or working that inexplicable army/macho fatigue pants thing. This is the same night as indie rockers The Stars show, though I don't imagine there's much overlap between the two audiences. Though that *would* be funny.

On February 2, the Test Icicles will be playing at the Mercury Lounge. If you haven't heard the band, they're good dance-y fun, and somewhat similar in sound to the Rapture. Buy your tickets NOW.

The The Strokes will play a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom, and if they're not your thing, you could always walk over to the Nokia Theater where Belle and Sebastian take the stage.

Lastly, indie up and comers Art Brut (pictured) will play the Bowery Ballroom April 4 and 5.

Other shows of note:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Feb 24, 24. Bowery Ballroom
Meat Beat Manifesto: Feb 25. BB King's Blues (and Industrial!) Club
Sisters of Mercy: March 6
The Gossip: March 25. The Knitting Factory

Upcoming Shows

Broken social scene
Originally uploaded by lotje.

I hate winter. Every year around this time the club scene slows down, and bands take time off from their hectic touring schedules to recharge back home. This, of course, leaves me with practically nowhere to go dancing. Plus, it's cold outside. Brrrr! Grrr! So what's a dancing girl to do? Seems like as good a time as any to put the polish on my plans to take over the world. Though you might not expect it, this involves strategic distribution of puppies, kittens, random babies, and for the hardened few - cases of alcohol. And, err, plenty of lackies and yes men for me! You'll have to ask me about it sometime...

There is a spec of musical hope on the horizon - a handful of good shows coming to town, so now's the time to get your tickets, or suffer through the gloom of winter's musical paucity you shall...

First up is Canada's indie rock collective Broken Social Scene. The band mixes head shaking, foot stomping dance-rock with songs that are somber, layered and melancholy. Their first two shows on January 27 and 28 at Webster Hall have sold out, so the band has added a third date on thursday, January 26th. Get your tickets here.

The National headline the Plug Awards show at Webster hall on Thursday the 2nd. Gothamist has a great interview with the boys here.

On Saturday, February 4, you have your choice of two shows - the stirring, melancholic Summer Lawns play the Mercury Lounge, and, a bit further downtown, The Juan MacLean, who crank out deliriously fun head- and hip-shaking dance music of the Manchester 80s variety, play the beautiful Bowery Ballroom.

The ever-fierce, gothic songstress Diamanda Galas rolls into town a week later to take over the Knitting Factory for a night of Valentine's Day black celebration. If you're not familiar with Galas, imagine a classically trained voice, with impecable musicality and... screaming! It's genius, really. She has a fascinatingly diverse and loyal fanbase.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club hits Webster Hall a few days later on the 18th, and one week later, Canada's Stars headline Webster Hall. Hmmm... anyone else 'sides me notice how Webster's getting all the good acts lately? Shame that the sound there actually bites.

And finally, on the winter show round-up comes electro-pop act Metric, again, at (sigh) Webster Hall.

*Somebody's* Been Spending Time at the Gym

Dave Gahan, 12\03\05, Atlantic City, NJ, Borgata
Originally uploaded by bonobaltimore.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, looking lean, mean & perfectly edible. Last night's show at Madison Square Garden, the first in a two-show stint, was hands down, the best I've been to in years (and I absolutely hate stadium shows). Depeche played for a total of two hours, ending with a blistering Enjoy the Silence, and then coming back for the first of two encores with Mart soloing on Somebody.

The sound was phenomenal, while Dave and Martin were clearly having the times of their lives. Dave looked fit, healthy and happy. He used to be such a dorky dancer - what happened? Now he's got his groove on, and spent the night shimmying across the stage as if he'd somehow borrowed michael hutchence's body circa 1984.

Saturdays are the new Mondays...

dancing
Originally uploaded by mjutabor.

Yeah, yeah. Forget that bit about Wednesday being the new Friday (or is Tuesday the new Friday now?.... Ack.) coz, that's right - Saturday is the new Monday, folks!

If you're me, that is.

Right, I should explain, probably, eh? Well let's look at next week. Tuesday, the gang's getting together for dancing at Luke & Leroy's. Wednesday, it's Depeche at MSG with K, and Friday it's X at Roseland with L, who'll probably be wearing his leather pants.

And that's a normal week for me folks, out dancing thrice and sleeping, err, when?

Last week's much the same story. Monday saw me dashing out to dinner with M at the Heights. Tuesday, which should've been a slow day, turned into dinner at Mooncake with the very sexy Mr. C. Thursday, after mucho missed connections, I finally landed for drinks at Union Pool with the bespectacled J. Friday, N took me to a new Japanese spot on 9th.

And my weekends, you ask? Quiet. Productive. I get a lot of writing done and I unwind with a good book or two, the occasional whisky. Wieeeeerd.

Everybody wants to get out and party during the week! And that's when the good concerts fall as well. Screw saturday !

Somehow over the past year, my weekends have slowly and stealthily switched places with my week days to the point where I rarely venture forth on a Friday night any more.

Am i the only one?