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Although STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS were playing across town (with JOHN VANDERSLICE opening) and I was interested in seeing Malkmus’ new drummer JANET WEISS in particular, we opted to see this show instead. Headliners CARIBOU were fantastic when we saw them at the First Unitarian Church last October, but this show turned out to be even better.
First, though, openers FUCK BUTTONS made up for their awful (and in more reserved circles, unprintable) name by playing a set of laptop-fueled electronic noise that ended up being quite similar to the show BLACK DICE played last November at the Vacuum. In fact, along with that Black Dice show, it was one of the few times I’ve ever enjoyed watching two guys work on laptops. Sure, the fact that one of them did what looked like some breakdancing moves during one song made it a bit more entertaining, but ultimately the music did the trick. Grimy, noisy and yet occasionally mellow and atmospheric as well, they were surprisingly enjoyable.
Then came the main event. After their first two albums, some folks probably still think of Caribou as laptop-pop and to a certain extent that’s still true (though much less so on their new one Andorra). However, when they play live, they not only play as a full band but one that can be as mind-expanding and mind-blowing (if not quite as heavy) as anyone playing the Terrastock or No Fun festivals. This is due primarily to the fact that main man DAN SNAITH not only plays guitar, but during many of the songs also played drums along with the other, full-time drummer (who was fantastic). This setup may make some folks think of THE ALLMAN BROTHERS, but I think of THE FALL circa 1982-1983 or ‘80s BUTTHOLE SURFERS. Caribou’s music, while not sounding anything like either band, certainly shares a psychedelic spirit with these other bands that have utilized dual drummers, however. It also helped that we were standing at the side of the stage because Johnny Brenda’s was packed (it was their third consecutive sellout night in a row, in fact) and thus we got a very up-close, personal and thus thrilling show.
If I have one complaint about the show, it’s that Snaith’s vocals were too low in the mix and at times barely audible. This was especially true during the beginning of their set. This was a bit puzzling since the sound otherwise was flawless for both bands’ sets, but in the end, it didn’t matter that much because the awesome, driving power of the music was what this night was really all about.
The above photo is from the show the previous night at Bowery Ballroom and is used with permission from Mr. Mammoth, who also reviewed the show and took more photos.
