Seven & Seven Is

Wow, it’s once again been a long time between posts. Not that I’ve been doing anything different lately…

The Buzzcocks – Any chance to see these Manchester punk pioneers is always a cause for celebration. This show at the Bluebird offered few surprises, with the exception of a new drummer who looks like he’s about 15 years old, but it was still a blast. What was interesting this time was that the first 20 or so minutes was exclusively material from their (pretty great) new album Flat Pack Philosophy. Afterwards, it was another hour or so of their classics. I was particularly thrilled to hear them play Sixteen, and my buddy JT and I declared I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life as our personal theme song. What I have noticed, however, is that they really don’t vary their tempo much in the live setting anymore. I think they’ve found a fast speed to play at that keeps the audience excited, and they keep things at this pace for the entire show. I’d like to see them slow it down for a number or two (one of my favorite memories of a Buzzcocks show was seeing Steve Diggle go into an impromptu Love Is Lies when Pete Shelley was having equipment issues), but its hard not to get swept up in the excitement watching Diggle jump around like a man half (a third?) his age. And that silly grin Shelley gives Diggle when they look at each other with an expression that says “can you believe we’re still doing this?” Priceless! (As the band left the stage, my friend Pam grabbed Steve Diggle and gave him a kiss. I think she should do this at every show – a lot more bands would want to come to Denver if she did!)

Immaculate Machine – This is a Canadian pop group with strong vocal harmonies, but with material that is a bit downbeat and quirky. I had seen them once before, warming up for the New Pornographers. (The leader of this group was pulling double duty that night, as she is also a member of the New Pornographers, providing keyboards and vocals. Apparently, she’s Carl Newman’s niece. She’s also really cute, in that “shy-indie-rock-geek-girl” sort of way.) I enjoyed them pretty well, and I’d be interested in checking out one of their CD’s. I’d definitely catch them live again. Warming up that night were my local faves the Breezy Porticos (special thanks to my buddy Andy for putting me on the “pest list”), and Cowboy Curse.

The Futureheads – Another good performance from this “angular” Sunderland group. They hit their new album News and Tributes heavily – a pretty good release, if not as immediately arresting as their debut. What was funny was that towards the end of their set, I found myself thinking “damn, they haven’t played Robot yet.” Just then, a bunch of people started screaming for that exact tune. This continued for the rest of the show: the band would play a song, the crowd would applaud, and then a bunch of people would start screaming “Robot!” The band would give each other funny looks, and then stick with whatever was next on the set list. Sadly, the never did play that one – hey guys, before you come back to Denver, please make sure you rehearse Robot. Your public demands it! Warming up were Tapes n’ Tapes, who I guess are the latest MySpace/Pitchfork/hipster sensation. They were pretty good, but I wasn’t blown away or anything. I think a lot of people were there just to see them.

X and The Rollins Band – I got a freebie for this one, so you can’t beat that. I got there early, claimed my comp from will call, and went into the Ogden eager to catch openers The Riverboat Gamblers. I had heard good things about them, so I was excited when they hit the stage and…waitaminnit, they look just like local Social Distortion wannabes Reno Divorce! Oh crap… I guess the Gamblers had van trouble and missed some shows on the tour. As I was already in the Ogden, and they don’t allow readmission, that meant I was stuck catching all of The Rollins Band. Unlike a lot of people I know, I really don’t have a problem with Henry Rollins – I liked him in Black Flag, he’s a great spoken work performer, Get In the Van was a cool book, and he’s put out some great CD’s by other artists (whatever happened to his Infinite Zero label?). And you can’t fault the man’s dedication to live performance - he’s just as intense as he ever was. Plus, the musicians in his band really are good. It’s just a shame that the music is so…well...god-freakin’-awful! A lot of people were really into it, so I guess it’s just not my thing. Finally, after what felt like a 3 hour set by Hank and his crew, X hit the stage. They’ve been doing these reunion tours for about 10 years now, and let’s be totally honest – it’s strictly a nostalgia trip. That said, it must also be said that the band delivers an excellent show. John Doe still has the smoothest voice in punk, Exene is always aloof and snotty (and drunk?), DJ can still drum like a maniac, and Billy Zoom is far and away the coolest guitar playing, smiling, and winking statue you’ll ever see. They stuck with material from their first four (amazing!) albums, with little room to breath in between numbers. A lot of old people (and even a few young ones) jumped around like idiots, while people who were there to see the Rollins Band scratched their heads and tried to figure out what was going on. A terrific night, it may have been the best X show I’ve ever seen. And boy was I sore the next day! Maybe I’m getting too old to pogo. Nah, that can’t be it…

Gary Numan – I decided to make the trip up to Boulder last Thursday for this one. I like a few of his old albums from the late 70’s and early 80’s, and when he played his older material the show was really enjoyable. Down in the Park sounded great, as did Are 'Friends' Electric? and Cars (needless to say, his encore). I would’ve loved to have heard a few tunes off of the first Tubeway Army album, but that didn’t happen. He played a lot of new material, which sounds a lot like Nine Inch Nails (or, as the kids like to call them, NIN). Unfortunately, I effin’ hate NIN. Still, he did put on a good show, and I heard many people comment afterwards that it was one of the best shows they’d ever seen. I guess it just didn’t all work for me.

RIP Arthur Lee of Love - I’m always sad when someone passes away who I’m a fan of, but this one hit me harder than most. I had seen him perform twice in recent years, and he was amazing both times. The man was born to be on a stage, and the way he carried himself kept his audience in absolute awe. If you’ve never heard his band Love, do yourself a favor and check out their first three albums – Love, Da Capo, and (especially) Forever Changes. The first two are great, the latter is absolutely stunning. I’d rate You Set the Scene, from Forever Changes, as one of the best album closing tracks ever. He’ll be missed.

Hey - I'm all caught up!