Quote of the Night: Pretty quiet night, so it goes to the headliner "Hey Foul Swoops, can we borrow an amp?" Although this short-out slowed things down a bit, they got the momentum back quickly and the set went on cleanly thereafter.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Title Tracks - Foul Swoops -- Black Cat - Apr 20 2011
Foul Swoops - The first of two power trios hit the stage, the backstage actually at the Black Cat. Good straight up punk rock music with the emphasis on rock is what immediately catches and keeps my ear. The first song reminded me of a Walter Lure Heartbreakers' song without the Thunders solo. Just straight ahead rock without a lot of frills here. Maybe the Gears? the Tools? the Controllers? Many of the lesser known grind-it-out latter ('79-'81) day punk bands come to mind. Stage presence is a bit lacking here, which is being polite, but they do keep the music coming. The set was maybe a bit long at 36 minutes, but this is easy music to like, but it is harder to love. And some will likely hate it altogether, but those people are not at the show anyway (after no doubt blowing a month's allowance on the Charlie Sheen event). The crowd of 40-50 people enjoyed it well enough.
Title Tracks - Title Tracks moves things up a notch or two musically. They have all the punk energy, but loads more pop hooks and melodic attack. I hear 999 and the Buzzcocks early on, although it shifts to more American in style as the songs keep coming. The guitar work and vocals shine and the rhythm section pummels along and is quite together. This DC band has just returned from Europe and is off to the Midwest to support the release of their new CD. They are certainly at a level of ability to obtain new fans and sell bucket loads of CDs. Although one criticism, is it that hard to get someone to cover your merch table at least for a time prior to your set's conclusion? It was empty all night and I saw a lot of people looking to buy early. Hopefully they stuck around after your set. I have even done this task full-time or part-time for bands that are in the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame or would sell out the 9:30 Club 3-5 times over were they to reunite. So if any band ever needs some help... But that is my only complaint tonight, as I want to leave with the memory that I saw a good band that also earned major points for covering the Wipers "Telepathic Love". Awesome.
Quote of the Night: Pretty quiet night, so it goes to the headliner "Hey Foul Swoops, can we borrow an amp?" Although this short-out slowed things down a bit, they got the momentum back quickly and the set went on cleanly thereafter.
Quote of the Night: Pretty quiet night, so it goes to the headliner "Hey Foul Swoops, can we borrow an amp?" Although this short-out slowed things down a bit, they got the momentum back quickly and the set went on cleanly thereafter.
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2 comments:
Yeh, watching the Foul Swoops, I thought they had possibilities, but a little (but not too much) swagger/attitude would go a long way. Songs with tunes that are sung rather than vocals that are shouted would also help.
After the show, the merch table (at least that of Title Tracks) was not covered by band members, but by a woman and a guy who I think used to be the drummer in the Points. Why not cover it between sets? Good question.
The Swoops may develop into something. I do enjoy seeing young bands gain confidence both with their material and on stage. We'll see. Ah, the Points. Thanks for the follow-up. If I was a better reporter, I would stay around and finish the story, so I appreciate the assistance.
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