the joy formidable @ the independent

[rone]

Although this is the first gig review since the failed Battles concert, i have actually attended one other gig since then: Soundgarden at the Bill Graham Civic Center.  Opening band: the Mars Volta, who were far better and tighter than i expected, and played stuff from an upcoming release (it's probably out by now, i should look for it...).  Soundgarden sounded like they'd barely missed a step; it was fantastic to hear Kim Thayil shredding again (even though, for some goddamn reason, the sound guy screwed us all by mixing Kim in at a very low volume).  Chris Cornell couldn't quite belt it out as before, but it wasn't much of a loss.  Matt Cameron was the usual pro's pro behind the kit, and Ben Shepherd was flat-out nuts, torturing amazing sounds out of his bass.  Short summary: fucking awesome.

Back to TJF: i hadn't secured a ticket for last week's show, which later sold out; luckily, lammah had bought tickets for both Monday and Tuesday, but then decided he didn't want to go to both shows, so i got to pick up the slack.  I ate at Tsunami (good but overpriced, except for a fantastic cocktail called The Cloister, of which i had two) with one of Sam's friends and his cousin, then walked two blocks to the Independent.  The two opening bands were Big Black Delta, who had some songs with potential, and a good drummer with style, but an annoying frontman; and A Place to Bury Strangers, who were technically adept but whose songs were dull, and the guitarist (who looked like Nicolas Cage in "Raising Arizona") and drummer looked like they hadn't showered all year.

The Joy Formidable was everything i'd hoped they'd be, with two tiny and one small complaints: the setlist shows that they neglected to play "Chapter 2", and also that they fake-ended their set after a mere 9 tracks, which is pretty damn horseshit in my book for the main attraction.  But they know they can get away with it because the music's so good, they have so much damn fun on the stage, and look genuinely happy to be playing in front of the crowd and with each other (and unlike APtBS, are all so handsome and well-dressed).  They were augmented by a harpist named Stephanie on "Llaw = Wall" and "Whirring", and that worked out pretty damn well.  I look forward to a subsequent tour after they have another album under their belt, so the set isn't so short.

Comments

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

The complaint is fake-ending after a mere 9 tracks. If your whole set is 12 songs, fake-ending seems pretty damn weaksauce to me. (i'm not down with fake-ending anyway)

You know what i like, so i'm not looking for verse-chorus-verse, necessarily. "It's really about the noise," well, fuck that, that's what everyone says about Sonic Youth and they're just fucking awful. Noise is an element, not a destination. I really don't give a crap about the avant-garde; if i want 'extreme music that can be produced by a guitar', i'll listen to Michael Hedges. As for the showering, well, Soundgarden looked pretty damn clean when i saw them. It's one thing to be sweaty, it's another to look like you'll be begging for change at a freeway ramp after the show. Does it matter? No. So what?

DEAF BY AUDIO

[lammah.livejournal.com]

I have Ritzy's email address if you want to take up the matter of 'fake-endings' with the group. I'm actually curious how she'd respond, besides with a good "fuck off". :-) One thing that doing the fake stuff does do is leave an element of surprise since the biggest fans are up near the front and can see the printed setlists which are up on stage, and so know what the main set's going to be. Sure, everybody and their dog can guess Whirring's going to get played, but we got a new song for our efforts, which was unexpected.

Regarding "noise"...I disagree...it can indeed be both element *and* destination. It does take a certain aesthetic mindset to appreciate it, so horses for courses.

Of course, SY now I think is well past its sell-by date NOW, and I have a problem of how they've see themselves as "indie royalty", but back in the day, their off-kilter song structures and unusual tunings really were quite visionary. I guess record sales buys you Ivory soap and personal groomers. I guess you'd not be caught dead at a punk show...I don't go to see shiny happy people, but want an escape from my oh-so normal day-to-day. In exchange, I help support these people through going to shows, buying merch, and providing documentary services through audiovisual capture.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Oh, i have no moral opposition to a punk show, except i'd be hard-pressed to call anything these days "punk". And i couldn't bring Kim along, so that's also a strike against. But you can look punk without looking like a derelict.

PNUK

[lammah.livejournal.com]

You can call a lot of things punk. I guess there's a crisis of confidence with labelling certain things "punk". It doesn't just refer to a style of UK/NYC guitar-based rock.

You can be wrong some of the time.

Re: PNUK

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

There were too many things called 'punk' in the late `90s that ought not have been, so that still influences my actions.

Some of the time? Boy, that would be an improvement.