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I’ll Be Your Mirror ATP Festival 2012
I’m still catching up and so this week’s list will consist of 10 of the best and most memorable comedians, musicians and films we saw at ATP, which was held at Pier 36 in Manhattan between September 21st and 23rd. My apologies for not having enough room to include other great bands we saw including The Dirtbombs, Lee Ranaldo and Hot Snakes (all of whom were terrific, too).
Hannibal Buress
Although he only got 20 minutes on the outdoor stage and was followed by the equally as funny (though very different i.e. much more political) Janeane Garafolo and this was the first time we’d ever seen him, he was hysterical going on about subjects as diverse as the virtues of pigs, when nature calls on airplanes and other unprintable stuff here.
Lightning Bolt
Though it had been over 6 years since we saw them (here is a review of the last time at Terrastock 2006 in Providence), their live intensity hasn’t left up one bit. Their brand of noisy grind is unique and creates an almost hypnotic effect with repeated exposure. I loved it.
Scrawl
A band I’d never seen before and like all the other acts on Saturday picked by Greg Dulli, Scrawl can stand toe-to-toe with similar acts like early Throwing Muses or The Breeders as far as great female-fronted post-punk goes. What a great set!
Charles Bradley
If I had to pick a word to describe soul veteran (recently rediscovered by the Daptone Record crew) Charles Bradley’s voice, it would be “stunning”. Seriously, the man’s voice could stop a truck and his showmanship was extraordinary to behold as well.
Dirty Three
Their set was my favorite of everyone on Saturday and one of my favorites of the entire weekend. I’d never seen them before and didn’t know what to expect. What we got was intense, utterly exhilarating “post-rock” that had a raw, sexual energy (violinist/madman Warren Ellis has a lot to do with that) that just percolated all around the venue during this performance. Stunning as well!
JEFF the Brotherhood
This band has improved A LOT since I saw them open for Fucked Up at the First Unitarian Church last year (review here). Playing on the large outdoor stage, this guitar and drums duo impressed with both its originals and their hyped-up cover of UK proto-metal obscurity Wicked Lady‘s “I’m a Freak”.
The Afghan Whigs
I hadn’t seen The Afghan Whigs since early 1999 at Bowery Ballroom on one of their very last tours before their recent reunion. I remember them being much less “professional” and looser, but otherwise they haven’t lost a step. Marcy May from Scrawl came out to sing “My Curse” (from 1993’s great Gentlemen; she also sang it on the record and at the aforementioned 1999 show at Bowery Ballroom), which brought the house down and they covered Friday headliner Frank Ocean‘s “Love Crimes”, too. What a great band!
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
ATP attendees were given a chance to watch the yet-to-be-completed rough cut of this forthcoming Big Star documentary and luckily we were able to catch it. For any long-time fans, this is a must and nearly brought me to tears. I can’t wait to see the final version.
The Magic Band
I’m a big Captain Beefheart fan, so this was a rare treat as well as The Magic Band only tend to play overseas festivals and I’d never seen them before. John French (i.e. Drumbo) does a great Beefheart impersonation and having another old Magic Band member (Rockette Morton) also helps. Ending with “Big Eyed Beans from Venus” from 1972’s excellent Clear Spot and including such chestnuts as “When It Blows It Stacks” (from The Spotlight Kid) also helped the set go over really well.
Thee Oh Sees
The award for the absolute best, most stunning set of the entire weekend goes to this long-running San Francisco-based garage/psych band. They had the kind of intensity rarely seen on stages, reminding me on occasion of the late, great Jay Reatard (whom they once did a split 7” with), but the intensity didn’t mean they skimped on the tunes. If they come anywhere near you, they are an absolute must-see!
