A friend recently turned me on to a little band from Philly called the Disco Biscuits and invited me to see them at the Roxy. I had some free time so figured I would check them out. After a week of listening to their impressive recent live release, The Wind to Four at Fly, it seemed a little strange to me that such a good trance-fusion-rock-jam band with a devoted fan base would be playing a club and not a large theater. After nearly three solid hours of fun electronic rock and roll grooves, I really can’t figure out why these guys aren’t selling out stadiums across the country.
The Disco Biscuits opened the show with the funky heavy organ driven tune “Chemical Warfare Brigade”. After a few bars of lyrics, the intricate guitar melody took over the organ’s lead in what would become a long and richly textured instrumental jam in which the ebullient dancing audience easily lost itself. After several minutes the rhythm and melody built to a furious crescendo before seamlessly easing into “Munchkin Invasion” with its interesting blend of 1980s rock guitar solos supported by heavy funkin’ rhythm.
After rocking out only two songs in 18 minutes, a wailing synthesized siren marked the beginning of “Rock Candy”, a crowd pleaser consisting of just one stanza of lyrics, a persistent pulsating techno beat, and various lyrical guitar dances and drum riffs that ultimately evolved into a frenzied jam.
Without giving the adoring sweaty audience a moment to catch its breath, the band launched into the funk influenced “Save the Robots”, another fun sing-along for Biscuit fans. The first set flew by in a blissful haze leaving us with a healthy yen for more, but after 75 minutes of non-stop music the musicians broke for a brief but well-deserved rest.
The second set opened with another 10-plus minute tempo-building jam followed by a long, mellifluous, disco jam accompanied by a colorful light show with hazy smoke effects.
The next few songs were an indulgently satisfying showcase of accomplished musicianship: long spacey jams, frenetic crescendos, meandering melodic tangents, inflective nuance (jazz, funk, calypso, and more), rock opera mood changes, guitar solos, an inverted version of the crowd favorite “Astronaut”, and enough techno beats to qualify for a gig at Love Parade. The Disco Biscuits even concluded a 20-minute version of “Spy” with a powerful and triumphant cover of GNR’s “November Rain”. (Author’s note: The last time I was at the Roxy, Hurra Torpedo covered GNR’s “Paradise City”; coincidence?)
The next time you hear of a Disco Biscuits gig within driving distance, pick up tickets, pack up the car, put on your groovin’ shoes, and prepare to be blown away. Chances are they’ll be playing a bigger venue next time they’re in town.
