Medications - Imperial China -- Black Cat - May 20 2010

Imperial China - It's SRO (sardines rocin' in oil) at the Black Cat backroom tonight. I sensed many people came to see the opener or at least wanted to see both bands equally. I hope that is the case, because I have tried to alert people to how good this local band is (See my record review). They won over the crowd pretty easily tonight with their hard charging post punk guitar and electronica attack. Lots of rhythm, decent vocals and great songs that really do cause some bounce in the crowd. They may not have as singular a sound as Gang of Four, Joy Division, or Pil, but they can accompany these types of bands and hold their own. Hopefully good things will continue to happen for these three DC area guys.

In this photo:  

Medications - This band looks and sounds familiar but I think it has been several years since I have seen them. I loved the opener with its catchy power-pop vocal hooks and nice raunchy guitar undercurrent--a great combination like peanut butter and chocolate. They are a four-piece with two guitars going at all times so the sound is strong with a small letup at times to do a poppier or more rhythmic tune. Catchy hooks are almost always present and the songs were a hit with the crowd. But based on the size, most of the crowd knew what to expect. I think a trip upstairs may be due next time the way this local band is going. Hard to beat a great local set of bands like these for $10.

Quote of the night: from the opener... "Sorry for the technical difficulties. This song will be better." That's the beauty of electronics and minimalism--I did not notice anything.