Radiator Hospital - Time for me to buckle up and hit the clubs on a regular basis once again after a severely diminished holiday schedule. Tonight's DC9 show is packed and will prove to be a great entry into the 2014 season. First up is a Philadelphia power-pop/punk band who gets things rocking from the first note. Crisp Undertones styled guitars and all the expected hooks make it easy to stay involved with their music. The vocals are a bit scattered at times, but decent enough. Broken string issues clogged up the proceedings a bit, but not too much as they kept the tunes coming after a few jokes.
Priests - This local band is still busy as ever and is perfectly placed on this bill as they move the sound forward heading in the direction that the headlining band will employ. Priests are taking their post-hardcore sounds into even more traditional surf garage areas, but with added throbbing rhythmic thumps and powerhouse vocal intensity. Imagine Ari Up replacing Jello in the DKs with them playing their most psychedelic songs and you get something like the set tonight. Guitar sounds were even spacier with a leslie amp--one of my favorite sounds (especially on organ). This band is as solid as ever and is a force on the local scene, as well as making some noise world-wide. Give them a listen some time if you have not already. Judging from their draws, many of you have.
Potty Mouth - Three graduates from Smith connect with a local Amherst, MA singer/guitarist and form a band, and what a band! They have similar guitar sounds to that of the Priests and the rhythm section is steady and a little more dramatic with their moves. The vocals are the biggest change with a more droll approach such as the more subtle Siouxsie songs. There is a raw feral energy that is deep within the sounds, but they have a sense of control that belies their short time as a band. The packed house in the DC9 was fully into their set and this band easily lived up to all the positive buzz bandied about. There was not much that boldly stood out, but rather a deep steady sound that grabbed hold with clarity and vision as the songs kept coming. They have made it onto my playlist as I need to study this some more. It is hard to tell how good they really are, but they have what it takes to hook you in to their world.
Quote of the Night: from some club conversation... "...well, effectively I 'm 24, but people think I'm a lot older, like 28."
1 comment:
It was really great to see such a great turnout for young buzzy-but-not-hyped bands. Live music is alive and well in DC.
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