When I found out that SHELLAC would be playing the First Unitarian Church, I was excited, since they rarely ever tour the US. They’re more likely to do a tour of Scandinavian countries while recording a single for some obscure label than to tour their home country.
In all fairness to them, they’re not a regular working band, and only get together seemingly when they can and want to. Singer/guitarist and indie legend STEVE ALBINI keeps busy recording bands in his studio, while bassist and fellow vocalist BOB WESTON is a recording engineer as well as the fourth member of the reunited MISSION OF BURMA. In fact, this was Weston’s second appearance at the same venue in about a month and a half, after Mission of Burma played there. Fortunately, though, unlike the sweatbox that show was, on this night the cool (and rainy and windy) weather outside made the always stuffy and sometimes insufferable heat of the church basement bearable during the duration of the evening. The show was sold out weeks in advance and the anticipation for their rare visit to Philadelphia was high.
Shellac was absolutely incredible. At times the fact that Albini and Weston trade off vocals reminded me a lot of the sadly now “on hiatus” FUGAZI. Plus Steve holds his mic stand in much the same way that IAN MACKAYE used to in Fugazi, cupping it with both hands while leaning back and screaming into the mic, thus reinforcing the comparison in a visual sense as well. Drummer TODD TRAINER was really terrific as well. The best way to describe his style is that he has such a great sense of space and dynamics that every time he hit the drums, it had ten times as much impact as most other drummers.
Overall, they have a math/noise-rock sound, with Albini’s instantly recognizable, barking (half-talking, half-shouting) vocals, but they occasionally can get a bit more experimental. For example, at one point they all put their arms up in the air to emulate the motion of an airplane. During another song, Albini incorporated elements of spoken-word and almost freeform poetry into the proceedings.
Another thing that reminded me of Fugazi is their relentless independent spirit. Though they’re well known for this, they’re not preachy. In fact, they make it entertaining. During several breaks between songs, they partook in a question-and-answer session with the crowd where they let audience members ask them questions. Among many other (mostly stupid) questions, one person started off his question with the phrase “in all your years in the music industry.” Weston immediately cut him off and said, “I don’t work in the music industry. I’m a part of the underground community and I work with my friends.” I think that says it all right there.
Driving the point home further, at one point Albini stated that the fact that an independent venue like the First Unitarian Church exists is important, because it’s an alternative to Clear Channel-sponsored shows. In this day and age when apathy reigns supreme, it’s refreshing that Shellac care about the community that they’ve been active participants in for over two decades… and, more importantly, about the increasing corporate control over all aspects of our lives.
By their own admission, their stage banter was also a chance for them to make fun of their audience. After the heartfelt speech about how hard it was to book an independent show, Albini spent the rest of the evening berating audience members who asked questions about subjects like the upcoming BIG BLACK reunion set next weekend. It would be understandable if this would leave a bad taste in the audience’s mouth, but the crowd ate this stuff up. It just cements Albini’s caustic reputation. And furthermore, when you’re in a beloved indie band that doesn’t tour often, and when the demand for you is high, you can get away with such things.
Openers UZEDA, who came here all the way from Italy, played an hour-long set of mid ‘90s-inspired noise-rock not too far off from the headliners. It was quite enjoyable, and they were a fitting opener. Thus, it was fitting when Albini thanked them and sung their praises at the end of Shellac’s set.
The pictures above were taken from aughtstar ’s flickr account.
