The Horrors at Safari Sam's

As if I wasn't still scared from the spooky Ladytron Halloween show, The Horrors made their california debut at Safari Sam's on Tuesday night. After brawling their way thru CMJ, I was expecting a highly interactive set from the Southend, Essex crew. The Cinematics hit the stage first hailing by the way of Scotland and put together a good bunch of songs that were derivative of Editors, Franz Ferdinand, and Snow Patrol but in a good way. Unfortunately they have signed to TVT records, so as I mentioned to labelmates The Blue Van... Good Luck boys!!.. I hope you get your money sometime. The Horrors hit the stage and low and behold the pit started. FYI, Faris Badwan uses shoe polish on his hands prior to shows and will leave you with the black mark of death as he reaches out and grabs crowd members and gives them the mark on their faces. Some
smart concert goers stepped away from the stage once they came on. Faris also did the obligatory multi stage dives into the crowd and causing havok in the meantime. Spider Webb was killing it on his rented Roland VK-8. Mr. Furse did his dead stare a la Sheena is a parasite video on his sweet Mustang bass. It has been fully confirmed the Z.Vex is the way to go as he
also had a Fuzz Factory pedal in his line up as well as a MXR micro amp. Unfortuately I didn't make it over to Joshua's guitar line up because apparently he makes his own pedals since he has a degree in Physics. But he did have at least 8 pedals littered on stage. Clocking in at just over 30mins you would have missed the set if you went to the bathroom. I wondered after the set who would they open for before they make it huge. Later on it came to me... My Chemical Romance.... Yikes!!!
Heaven help us if this happens.

The Knife at the El Rey

I failed to mention that The Sounds are from Sweden in my last review. So it is ironic that the next show I go to happens to be The Knife who also hail from Sweden. The Knife are on a ultra mini tour consisting of 3 dates in the states (NY,SF, and LA). The line of people trying to get tickets outside was larger then Ladytron at Halloween and I got hit up by a bunch of people on the way in looking for extras. The El Rey recently was sold and renovated with an upgraded sound system that makes the it one of the better sounding L.A. venues. I went to the merchandise booth to check out what they brought over from the motherland and they had the first two Knife albums that were recently released which I scooped up. Interestingly they were out of men's t-shirts but the shirt was not that amazing anyways. After talking to the security guard for a bit regarding the status of digital cameras, I found out the opening band planningtorock had cancelled. Apparently planningtorock is a one woman show dressed in white with a movie screen and some crazy beats as she sings along. So after the wait, The Knife finally hit the stage and the temperature in the El Rey went up ten degrees. The Knife put on an amazing show that is in my top 5 of visual performances. The show is very derivative of other bands ie Kraftwerk, and Nine Inch Nails, but since they borrow from my favorite bands...it is allowed. The stage had a drop screen in front of the band that displayed various images as well as a projection screen behind the band that had another set of images. The Knife consists of a brother and sister duo Karin Dreijer Andersson & Olof Dreijer. The music is all pre recorded but Karin sings live and I could see her as she manipulated the controls changing the pitch of her voice during the songs. My pictures unfortunately do not do justice to the visual component of the show, but I highly recommend you check out the DVD when it comes out. I will get it for sure. But I leave you with a tiny youtube morsel.

The Sounds and Ima Robot at the Galaxy with Special DJ Guests

Sometimes trolling the ticketmaster website pays off. Anyone remember back in the day where you could see the whole list of ticketmaster events without checking each venue. Well I stumbled upon The Sounds at the Galaxy and could not pass it up. I had never seen them but heard they put on an amazing show. The Galaxy is an interesting venue. I got to the show early to get parking because they charge you $10 if you show up late. I pulled up around 7:20 and the lot was almost full so I knew that getting a decent spot for pics would be tough. The will call line was extremely long due to the fact that all the 21 and under folks had to buy $5 dollar drink tickets. I had also checked the Galaxy website and it mentioned Ladytron was on the bill. I was skeptical because it wasn't listed anywhere else. When I picked up my ticket I glanced at the set times and saw no Ladytron. So I dejectedly walked in hoping for a super rocking set from the Sounds. The pit was already 3/4 full so I opted for a dinner seat. Japanese Motors came on after I polished off my chicken strips and played a punk/rockabily set. The crowd was appreciative because it gave them an excuse to start a pit. Ima Robot was on afterwards and rambled thru their set. I have seen them before open for Hot Hot Heat and She Wants Revenge but wasn't that impressed. They do have their moments with "Dynomite" and "Black Jetta". During the intermission, Depeche Mode "Strangelove" was blasting thru the speakers and I was impressed with the DJ and low and behold its Daniel from Ladytron on the decks. Mira and Reuben also were helping out. Daniel also spun The Knife which I will see this Saturday. They all vacated and The Sounds came and rocked the stage. Apparently Jack's Surfboards put out some fat cash to get them to play this show prior to their opening slot for the Angels & Airwaves tour as evidenced by all the banners in the venue. Maja was a dynamo easily capturing the crowd and running everywhere on stage. She even stage dived into the crowd during the finale. They are coming back on Dec 2nd at the Wiltern so get your tickets now. After the show ended the crowd emptied out and Ladytron came back out to a sparse crowd. Luckily... Reuben was really cool and I took some pictures for some other fans. Reuben mentioned that Ladytron would be back in December. I ended up getting a picture with Daniel, Mira, and Reuben for which I can't thank them enough. Overall a great show and as Mira said to me before they jetted off... Cheers!!!!

Voxtrot & Low vs. Diamond at the Troubadour

Originally I planned to check this show out because it had Sound Team on the bill according to the Troubadour website. The Sound Team album has been playing on my ipod quite a bit lately along with Silversun Pickups and Asobi Sesku. So I did the obligatory myspace to check out the other bands music to see what I was in store for. First up was Yellow Fever from Austin, Texas. They had a '60s pop vibe with simple songs. One of the songs was an acapella "I broke your imac" which was pretty entertaining. Apparently one of the lead singers is featured on some Voxtrot songs as she came out later. Low vs. Diamond came out next and they sported a Korg MS-2000 which I have seen at a lot of shows lately (Ladytron, Forward Russia). They had a good sound with the members switching instruments on some songs. Some of their new material is less electronic and more song based. I will be checking out their E.P. when it comes out in Feb. 2007. The lead singer also looked like a doppelganger for Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol. Maybe that is why some of the songs reminded me of Snow Patrol. Voxtrot finally hit the stage and played a great set. Very similar to a Shins type sound but with a bit more overdrive and lots of walking basslines. The band had a lot of enthusiam and played an energetic set. Also, some people don't know concert etiquette. One annoying guy started screaming for "Start of Something" for about 3 songs near the end of their set. Come on people show some class and let the band due the talking. Remember your etiquette people.

Ladytron at the El Rey

Halloween night presented some interesting choices. Originally I had planned on going to see MSTRKRFT/Justice at Safari Sam's or see Chromeo at Cinespace but then Ladytron announced a Halloween show and I couldn't resist. I also had a chance to check out a Ladytron DJ set at the Standard Hotel the night before but opted out for rest and to watch the Kings finally win. On my way up the 110 to the El Rey was a traffic alert stating the delays into Hollywood was an hour.. so I was feeling lucky that I made the Ladytron show decision. Midnight Movies opened up the show and were sporting the latest in Mummy wear. They played a good set. Mira and Reuben from Ladytron were checking out their set, and Mira was taking some pictures in front of me. Out of the 3 prior Ladytron shows everyone had the same outfit. So when Ladytron hit the stage all gothed out, I was impressed. They played the same set but Mira seemed to be having a good time because she said more stuff tonight then all other shows combined. She even thanked Midnight Movies for coming out of their Sarcophagus I unfortunately didn't get my Human League cover but overall still a great set and you could see the band was having fun on stage. My luck would run out later along with my camera battery so I decided to leave before the Ladytron DJ set. Ladytron tickets went on sale today on for a December 7th show with the Faint but I will be gambling in Vegas with Wolfmother and the Silversun Pickups so I hope I will regain my luck then.

Ladytron at the Glass House

Round 3 of Ladytron was at the Glass House in Pomona. I usually reserve the drive to Pomona for special bands and Ladytron happens to be one of them. Previous Glass house shows include... Jets To Brazil, Death Cab for Cutie, Queens of the Stone Age, Sparta, etc. Same setlist as the prior 2 rounds but opted for the Helen side instead of the usual Mira side. The Submarines opened and were a laptop and guitar duo. I remember downloading their KCRW podcast but never got around to checking out the whole thing. They played an okay set. The songs started to sound the same after awhile and I don't know if it was due to the lack of sleep or the band. Anyways, I definetly got some energy back when Ladytron hit the stage. The crowd was very receptive and was most energetic when songs from "604" were played. Helen seemed to really be into the show and was moving around quite a bit. I did not get to the Glasshouse too early and ended up with a spot behind the mixing board. so from a photography perspective my light was limited. I did manage to snag an interesting picture of Helen's arms though! I figure I might as well see them now before they go back to the recording studio and it will be years before they come back. I am hoping that they give the crowd an extra song at the Halloween "Witching Hour" show. A cover of Human League would be stellar as well. I will keep ya posted.

Forward Russia at Spaceland

Still recovering from the Devo show, I soldiered on and made it out to the Forward Russia set at Spaceland. I had missed them at Cinespace and the Troubadour previously so I was determined to catch them this time. Manic was up first. They played an ambient indie rock type set with one song sounding exactly like a radiohead song structure. The mix was not dialed in yet because it was difficult to hear any vocals due to the amount of reverb and echo in the club. The Scanners were on next. They are from England and have signed locally with Dim Mak Records, so Steve Aoki and crew were there to show some love. They have improved a lot live since I saw them last time opening for the Rakes at the Troubadour. The live show is definetly better then the album so hopefully they will capture there live sound on the next album. Forward Russia was next and they shredded! Tom apologized at first saying his voice was shot, but it sounded great to me. Even though I hate labeling bands they sounded like Bloc Party meets Horse the Band. Whiskas was playing some great leads and I was jealous of his Boss Looping Station. Katie held it down on drums and even managed to shove some lame uninvited stage dancers off the stage with her drumstick. Even better was the iterinary on the back of the set list that said "after show---- Get Naked". I left before the after party cause I needed to save my energy for the Ladytron show.

Devo at The Grove of Anaheim

Thanks to my friend Micheal I added Devo at the Grove to get my '80s on. Last time I had seen Devo was Lolla back in '95. Back then I didn't appreciate the sheer genius of Devo as much as I do now. This was reinforced when I had to sit thru some '80s bands before Devo. Bow Wow Wow was first and played a decent set. Annabella looked pretty good but remember she was 15 back in the '80s. Of course they played "I Want Candy" and the crowd appaulded with approval. When in Rome was next and think that they are still in the '80s with two synth players and a laptop/bongo player rounding out the band. I was disappointed when they started their golden ball and chain "The Promise" and tried to get the audience to sing along therefore leaving out singing the major parts of the song. I think you should sing the whole song and leave the audience out next time. Flock of Seagulls was next. The years have not been to nice to Mr. Mike Score. The haircut that defined a decade is now a ponytail and a black baseball cap. "Spaceage Love song" was off by a few notes and I felt bad for the band. Luckily... Devo was next and saved the day. Propelled by the awesomenesss of Josh Freese on drums, Devo rules. All the hits were played and I commend Devo for not closing with "Whip It" but instead inserting it mid set. My favorite by far is "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" and "Secret Agent Man". Synths glore reigned supreme and the band played very well together with a lot of energy. They blew away all the other bands on the bill and even a pit formed which I thought was interesting. But then again I have seen a pit at a Morrissey show so you can never tell these days.

The Kooks at Spaceland

The British are coming!!! The British are coming!!! The Brits just keep invading the U.S. with the latest attack being mounted by The Kooks. Having went triple platinum in the U.K, the buzz was quite high at Club NME. I got to the club super early because I missed the sale on ticketweb 4 months earlier. No lineups at spaceland till 8:30 per spaceland security FYI. So I shuffled up the street to get some cashew chicken at the Thai restaurant which was good. Topped it off with a 50/50 bar compliments of the ice cream man who was doing a major press session for MTVU. Trainwreck Riders opened the show with a indie rockabily vibe. One of the guitarists was using metal guitar finger picks which I found commendable. Not a bad set, but the mix was so-so. The Kooks finally came on around 11:30 to a warm reception and played a confident set for a bunch of teenagers. I must have missed the memo about Fuzz pedals because Hugh had a Z.Vex fuzz factory pedal. I was impressed with his pedal board and sound thru a Vox AC30. The Kooks know what they are doing and do a good job at it. I still haven't seen much U.S. press but it will be interesting to see if they can make it to larger venues a la Arctic Monkey style. Annie from Giant Drag also DJ'ed the back room and was rocking out to some tunes. I forgot to ask her about her guest spot on the new Deftones album.

Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amp

This was an amazing show. The line up was fantastic. Death Cab played a great set. Some of their highlights
include "Brothers on A Hotel Bed", and "Soul Meets Body". Then Trent from NIN came on. You can hear me say wow for the first couple of minutes of video as they were setting up the string quartet. "Something I can never have" was spectacular. They had an Asian bowed instrument and of course Trent's "prepared" piano. I recorded video/audio for both shows but mainly for the audio portion. Piggy was a surprise especially with the egg shaker and the metronome. The stand up bass propelled the track and gave it an added eerieness. I never liked piggy that much untill I heard that version. "Right Where It Belongs" was awesome and meaningful when he faced the children. "Non Entity" was cool because he really belted out the lyrics and was louder then the string quartet. "The Fragile" was SICK. Foo Fighters were spectacular as well but had the unfair advantage of touring acoustically for a few months now. Pearl Jam went old school and I couldn't have been happier. Songs highlights were "Elderly Woman Behind a Counter", "Daughter", and "Crazy Mary". Night 2 they played "Black" I was really impressed. I saw PJ back in '92 and I started to have flashbacks. Death Cab on Night 2 played "Movie Script Ending" and "What Sarah Said" which are 2 of my favorites. Trent's set on NIght 2 seemed more confident and better mixed. Nothing radical but just overall better. This trip was worth every penny. Hopefully I will upload some video for this.

Mellowdrone at the OCMA

At the last minute I decided to get my art on at the
Orange County Museum. OC Weekly was holding a Best of OC wrap party for their issue celebrating the "Best of
OC". That was all well and good but I was there to
check out the free concert by Mellowdrone. I was
pleasantly surprised that they had an additional
opening band..Fielding from the way of Long Beach. I
have seen them listed at the detroit bar but missed
them. They have a Wilco/indie rock vibe. They played a
good set but the mix was not quite up to par. After
the set change, Mellowdrone finally appeared on stage.
I had seen them at the chain reaction when I caught
ModWheelMood. Mellowdrone played a full set and even
Tony remarked that it was the longest setlist they
have played in a while. Another interesting tidbit was
the power went out a couple times during both sets
kind of killing the bands momentum. Mellowdrone did
the best to make it up inviting fans on stage for an
acapella version of their songs. Overall great show
and the art was really interesting as well.

Ladytron and CSS at the Belly Up

Luckily I had the day off to go for round 2 of Ladytron and CSS. I stopped off at Lou's Records up the road from the Belly Up and picked up Mew's CD Frengers which I haven't been able to find and the super cool Kraftwerk Box Set. Then I drove down to the Belly Up and scored a sweet parking spot. The ticket was $10 cheaper and the parking was free so things were already looking good. I had never been to the Belly Up before but it similar to the size of the Echo. I was surprised they were playing such a small place versus the 1500 capacity John Anson the night before. CSS came out and rocked the crowd as usual. Lovefoxxx made it into the crowd to get the people into party mode. Ladytron then followed up with a spectacular set. I was also fortunate to get a setlist to share with everyone. Even though they didn't change the setlist, you couldn't ask for a better set. It will be interesting to see what will be in store for Pomona and then the Halloween Party.