Phrenetic energy can sum up the bands at Spaceland on Thursday night. All three of them had it in varying degrees. Porterville started out the evening playing danceable, slightly poppy, rock music. Two of the three members of the band blatantly mocked the tenants of hipsterdom with their comical wardrobe. The lead singers attire included an oversized football jersey, aviator sunglasses and an Axel Rose style bandana wrapped around his grown out hair. The drummer followed suit with a sleeveless shirt that screamed bad 80s, accompanied by oversized ghetto-blaster headphones and an obnoxious sweatband. And the award for phrenetic energy in this band most definitely goes to the drummer, hands down. At times it appeared as though he might injure himself in the way he pounded the drums. It almost looked like he was going to dislocate his shoulder. This of course made for a very entertaining performance.
San Francisco based Every Move a Picture took the stage next. They play well-crafted dance rock, reminiscent of the 80s, which has been ever present in rock music over the past few years. NOTE: Please dont make the mistake of lumping them into the Killers carbon-copy genre that is pulsing through the mainstream right now. Their sound is not as overly polished and exudes more rawness than some of the glossier dance-rock bands, making for a grittier and more authentic sound. Though their music may not be identical to all the other dance-rock bands, the same cannot be said about their aesthetic. EMAP fits the mold as sharply dressed and neatly groomed gentlemen. Its all about collared shirts and ties for these boys, but I much prefer that over torn jeans and long ratty hair. EMAPs singer proves to be a perfect frontman. He definitely wins the most phrenetic award when pitted against his bandmates. He struts around the stage swinging his mic and slinging his guitar with a ferver. Every Move a Picture closed their set with their incredibly catchy song Signs of Life which may be appearing on rock radio sooner than you think.
Art Brut finished off the night with their Los Angeles debut (theyre from the other side of the pond). The theme of Art Bruts set was forming a band. They opened up with their song Formed a Band and repeatedly encouraged the audience to do the same throughout the course evening. Their music is distinctly British and slightly tongue-in-cheek. Their lyrics often tell simple stories, some of which are quite embarrassing (i.e. not being able to perform in the bedroom). They also make fun of themselves (singing and yes this is my singing voice in a thick British accent) and have great one-liners cleverly layered in their songs. This would make it sound like they may only be a novelty, but dont be mistaken, Art Brut is truly a band and they definitely know how to perform. Vocals are provided by the incredibly tall and slightly awkward looking Eddie Argos, whose gawky stature actually draws attention to him. He interacted well with the audience by getting right up on the edge of the stage in their faces and at one point entering the audience to lead an impromptu sing-a-long. He not only commands the attention of the audience, but also that of the band, stating before many songs, you ready Art Brut? as if he was directing his troops. Weve been waiting 7 years to play this song, Argos stated as he sprang into Moving to L.A., a song, that as its name aptly indicates, discusses moving to our fair city. Theres no telling how long the crowd had been waiting for that song, but youd think it was comparable to Art Bruts duration as the first few bars sent them wild. The crowd was quite enthusiastic for the span of Art Bruts set, which is encouraging considering their record has not come out domestically (which means all those people that were singing along purchased the pricier importker ching!) Now that shows something! As debuts go, I would say that Art Bruts L.A. debut was simply a smash. I think they get the best of show award for most phrenetic energy, if not only for the band themselves, but for also what they inspired in the audience. Good show Art Brut, good show!
