Like I said in my last entry, free shows are a gamble, albeit a low stakes one. Besides the time it takes to drive into the city there's not much to lose. For this post I went back to the Echo for another night of Feels residency. I figured if the others sucked I'd know at least one band I'd enjoy. Alternatively, their last show I saw introduced me to a handful of bands I enjoyed so who's to say tonight would be different?
The night started with Traps PS, a curiosity. When I saw them on the bill the name didn't quite land. Is it a reference to something? Is it "Trapspuss"? (It's not). Usually you can gather something from a handful of syllables, but I was in the dark on this one. So their performance lived up to my expectation — I wasn't sure what to make of them. They were jerky, angular and sharp. Start and stop rhythms, unexpected song structures. I alternated between dislike, uncertainty, and appreciation. They were doing something unique, structures and song styles that seemed pulled from a variety of genres, recombined into something jagged that turns smooth, like a piece of broken glass. The singer/guitar player bounces from one foot to the other as he bellows into the mic, his playing a punkish 16th note strum. Juxtaposed against this are half measure bass lines, heavy yet melodic accents that perfectly match tumultuous percussion. My initial impression brought to mind Gang of Four, but they pulled out clangorous drones as well. I may not know how I feel about them but I think they're worth keeping an eye on.
Second act Sex Stains were loud. And loud. Three instrumentalists, two singers and one noise box, they took hold of the Echo and squeezed it for all it was worth. The quintet played like seasoned stage veterans. Vocalist Allison Wolfe dances around the stage, skipping, smiling, her hand on her hip. She's having fun; with her doily socks she looks like an 11 year old on a sugar high. Her partner Mecca Vazie Andrews carries a different energy; intense, possessed, she shakes and contorts, careening barefoot around the stage. At one point she climbs into the audience and slamdances as she screams into the microphone. Their sound is noisy. It's punk, it's high intensity from the word 'go'. Sex Stains were wild and raucous, they definitely rock, but are they good? I couldn't tell. The songs were all an assault of sound, drowning out the vocals, highs and lows combining into a heavy mess . Even their experimental use of noise and feedback was at first intriguing but quickly became noise for the sake of noise. It doesn't really matter though, because they were fun to watch. The crowd loved them. They make the kind of music that oozes into your pores, you feel sweaty from the first chord.
Feels were great, same as the last time I saw them. Since I have nothing to offer I'll just post a link and move on.
I liked closing act The Vivids. They were dynamic, smooth, and tightly rehearsed. The rhythm rules their sound, drums are where the music starts, after that all bets are off. Their bass lines, in any other band, would be guitar parts. Their guitar parts would be keyboards. Somehow The Vivids have struck this odd balance that I doubt many others could pull off. They're punk but atmospheric. The guitar is heavily effected, a chorus or a flange, I'm not sure. At one point I was sure they had a synth onstage before I realized it was their guitar giving that airy, reverby tone that hides behind and above the drums and bass. The stage banter can be fun but the songs are serious affairs, moody and introspective. Musically they can throw down, but they give the impression that there's a depth beyond attitude filled power chords. Live shows are a hit and miss affair if you're trying to gather a singer's lyrical intricacy, but The Vivids seem to have something that would require a second listen. They sounded like an amped up Joy Division with less 'post' and more straight up 'punk.' Singer Sim Jackson struck me as very in control, despite the intensity of the music going on around him. There's that cliche about bands trying too hard to affect carelessness. The Vivids play like they want you to have a good time, but if you don't they're just as happy to leave you behind.