OMG. I am not one given to capitals. Only a handful of bands in the evening (6 ? including one song from Daniel Johnson) but they were rippers.
Back in 6th Street I went upstairs to a showcase of Love Inks, a local band. I was quite taken by a song I heard last year. Two guys on guitar, girl singer and a drum machine. The guitarists were good and the singing OK but the package live was less exciting than I expected. I left before the end of the set and walked along the street to a crowded bar up some more steps to see Guards.
I have been following Guards for some time and I have liked every song. As they set up I chatted to the people around me. They were from Southern California and claimed most of the band had come from that way before their move to NY.
The band was hot, incendiary, every song strong with the 3 beardy guys on guitar, a drummer and the girl on a kinda electronic slide guitar (with effect peddles). I will see them again.
Next Beach Fossils. Took me time to find the venue and there were 3 stages so I stumbled in towards the end of the set. They were young, much younger than I thought that they would be given the troubled history of the band,. Again, they were on fire, throwing themselves over the stage with a much raunchier sound than you would expect from their recorded material. Electric and I will track them down again tonight.
(Pictures to come)
Psychedelic Horseshit (I think) – noise, noise, noise and guitars at Beerland.
On to the Belmont and Built to Spill. YES. The Belmont is a bit more up market and they played at the end of a Daniel Johnson show including some of his friends., The Built to Spill team was old (er) and crustier. A nod from Doug Martsch to the band then they let loose. Holy Fuck, No words for how good it was. I was right up front behind a (HBO?) film crew and got the whole gig up close and personal. They reminded me of the Who for some reason, probably the crashing guitar sounds and being old and mean looking. A wonderful end to the night.