Bloc Party & Does it Offend You, Yeah? at Webster Hall

The doors opened late for Bloc Party's Wednesday night show at Webster Hall. As a person with a full time job this did not still well with me, nor did the following: the first band [whose name I didn't get because their mic wasn't working] Amazing Baby was a waste of time, Does it Offend You, Yeah? took forever to set up and had technical difficulties, and Bloc Party didn't hit the stage until about 10PM. TLC had an amazing spot in front of the stage, but we were definitely anxious.

Amazing Baby was a very bad combination of people thrown together: the Slash wannabe guitarist overpowering his band mates + the gag-worthy hipster pretty boy lead singer whose mic did not work + 2 random back up singers in dresses + 2 random guys. Even without the vocals the music was bad, and the band was so over the top. Does it Offend You, Yeah? burst onto the stage with a few technical difficulties but commanded everyones attention with their high-energy stage presence and naughty antics...I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Bloc Party zipped through their set seamlessly along with Gordon Moakes stand-in, Daniel Lindegren. They played tracks from previous releases including "Flux," gave a nod to Missy Elliott's "Shake it Like a Pom Pom," covered Prince's "I Will Die 4 You," and current single "Mercury." Even with all the bumps along the way, Bloc Party definitely gave a great show. I saw them three years ago at McCarren Park Pool and I must say they've definitely improved in sound and stage presence collectively.

«More Pictures of Bloc Party & DIOYY at Webster Hall»

MP3: Bloc Party- Where Is Home? (Diplo Remix Featuring Skepta)


















Does it Offend You, Yeah?




Amazing Baby

Black Lips at McCarren Pool

Last Sunday I ventured over once again to McCarren Pool to finally catch The Black Lips. Wanted to see for myself what all the fuss is about and was really impressed. Really enjoyed their brand of synth-free retro garage rock and apparently so do tons of teenage boys.

The moshing and thrashing about from the kids wasn't as bad as I had expected and actually turned into a bit of a toilet paper party but was ultimately a great time.

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The Dodos At Cake Shop - July 17th

Since the failure of enjoying the overcrowded Dodos in-store at Sound Fix four months ago, I've been sitting tight for another chance. When I first heard rumors that they were to play Siren Fest, my heart sank a little. Partaking in the festivities at Siren has not been something I look forward & have actually skipped out more times than I've actually gone. Considering the circumstances, I was prepared to suck it up & return to Siren. Two days before Siren however, I was elated to find out about The Dodos' secret performance at Cake Shop happening that night. Myself & a friend found ourselves taking (what we deemed) necessary measures to ensure us entry to the show by showing up an hour before doors. Two hours later, we found ourselves alone in the basement asking ourselves "where is everyone?" Slowly but surely, the space filled to capacity, by the time The Dodos took stage.

Despite the fact that The Dodos have been my favorite discovery of 2008 & I hail Vister to be my favorite album of the year, I am not sure why I didn't expect to be so blown away. The show was, without a doubt one of the best I have seen in years. The high energy, dim lighting, intimate space, & happiness radiating from everyone there were all factors for this. Their set consisted of songs mostly off their 2008 release Visiter, including Paint the Rust, Ashley, Fools, Jody, Red & Purple, & ended with my personal favorite, The Season.

Once the show ended, I was left buzzing with a very familiar feeling that I hadn't felt in quite a while, that feeling was the reminder of the reason of why I love music. How noises made by two guys from the bay area have the ability to move one in such a way, is a magical thing. Unfortunately, Siren didn't hold water to the performance at Cake Shop & the very short set (4-5 songs), outdoor venue, hot weather, & crowd are to blame. For the real deal, skip the festivals and see them headlining at one of their following upcoming Tour Dates.


(UK Tour)
Aug 12 100, Club London
Sep 1 Black Box ,Belfast
Sep 2 Doghouse, Dundee
Sep 3 King Tuts, Glasgow
Sep 4 The Cluny, Newcastle
Sep 5 The Duchesss, York
Sep 6 Faversham, Leeds
Sep 7 Roadhouse, Manchester
Sep 8 Fusion, Sheffield
Sep 10 Bar Academy, Birmingham
Sep 11 Moles, Bath
Sep 12 Coalition, Brighton
Sep 13 Academy 2, Oxford
Sep 14 Bodega, Nottingham
Sep 15 Thekla, Bristol
Sep 16 ULU, London

(Return to the States)
Sep 21 Treasure Island Fest, San Francisco
Sep 28 Sonar, Baltimore
Sep 29 Spiegeltent, New York
Oct 2 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Oct 3 Fuel@ Dartmouth, Hanover
Oct 4 POP Montreal, Montreal
Oct 6 Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Oct 7 Magic Stick, Detroit
Oct 8 Bottom Lounge, Chicago
Oct 10 Earlham College Richmond
Oct 11 Milo, Columbus
Nov 8 Echoplex Los Angeles

(European Tour)
Nov 12 Grand Mix, Tourcoing
Nov 13 Poudriere, Belfort
Nov 14 Point Ephemere, Paris
Nov 15 Cabaret Electric, Le Havre
Nov 17 Nachtleben, Frankfurt
Nov 18 Headcrash, Hamburg
Nov 19 Voxhall, Aarhus
Nov 20 Loppen, Copenhagen
Nov 21 Knaack , Berlin
Nov 22 Akropolis, Praguee
Nov 23 59-1, Munich
Nov 24 Chelsea, Vienna
Nov 25 Stalker , Padova
Nov 26 Casa 139 , Milan
Nov 27 ISC , Bern
Nov 28 Le Romandie, Lausanne
Nov 29 Luxor, Cologne
Nov 30 Vera, Groningen
Dec 2 Melkweg, Amsterdam
Dec 3 Belle Vue , Brussels

We Are Scientists at Music Hall of Williamsburg

We Are Scientists have been one of my favorite bands since 2006 when I first heard/saw them at the NME Shockwaves Awards show at Brixton Academy along with Mystery Jets, Arctic Monkeys and Maximo Park. ahh memories

I chose to go to the first of their two shows here in NYC last week. Music Hall of Williamsburg has definitely been getting preferential treatment from me over Bowery Ballroom as of late.

Last time I saw them was two summers ago at Warsaw (last year's Siren doesn't count) and they've beefed up their on-stage presence since then, adding a new guitarist/keyboardist. Keith and Chris seem to be doing just fine as a duo (drummer Michael left the band last year). All the new tracks sounded great live and their banter is priceless. Highlights included After Hours, Cash Cow, Textbook (which saw Keith meandering through the crowd) and latest single, Impatience.



Check out the new video for Impatience. They're almost up there w/ Foo Fighters for most clever videos

«More Photos of We Are Scientists at Music Hall of Williamsburg»

New Kooks Video

In keeping with The Kooks theme of the last post, I present their latest video for Do You Wanna. This time they're in Paris, traipsing around Pigalle and frollicking w/ 1920s style French prostitutes. Hot song.