Live: The Vandelles, the Morning After Girls

When: 8/14
Where: Bowery Ballroom

You know how I said I'd love to see the Vandelles on a bigger stage? Well, I got my wish when the scored the opening slot on the Warlocks' tour, which passed through NYC at the Bowery Ballroom. And it was just as I suspected - while many bands look smaller and smaller as they find themselves on bigger and bigger stages, the Vandelles have the opposite effect. Instead of dwarfing the group, the space made their giant stage presence even more visible.

The band sounded amazing - though I've seen the Vandelles a few bazillion times, I don't think I've ever heard with clarity what's really going on within their noisy songs. This time, each instrument, each detail was distinctly audible. There's a lot more to the band than just surf melodies and feedback!

The band made the most of the opportunity and seemed to be at the top of their game. That's not to say the set was flawless, but the energy they put in compensated for any mistakes. The band also did well to handle an emergency restringing by guitarist Christo Buffam - the band bravely played a song without him, and while the gaps in the sound were massive, it was a far better option than five minutes of silence. The band could generally work on minimizing downtime, but they did keep things moving. [MySpace]

Next up were the Morning After Girls, a band of Australian ex-pats. I had high expectations, and unfortunately, they just weren't met. The group was OK, but ultimately, seemed redundant, given how many bands out there make the same wall-of-sound, heavy pop/rock music, and how many of those bands do it way better. MAG were enjoyable, but if you've seen bands like Trail of Dead, BRMC, Autlux, Mercury Rev or anything else of that general persuasion, this band will just be a disappointment and a waste of your time.

The band's one really stand-out feature was its use of vocals. The frequent use of harmony and vast range covered by frontman Sacha Lucashenko and back-up vocalist Martin Sleeman (both also guitarists) were unusual and extremely well-executed. The singing was sweet and mature, yet powerful. Nevertheless, I don't think it's enough to make this band truly noteworthy. There's so much music in the world, so why listen to something that's just OK? [MySpace]

For strange reasons I won't explain here, I pretty much missed the Warlocks entirely, so I'll have to leave them unreviewed.

Upcoming Shows: Woods, Warlocks + more

A lot of good stuff coming up! And Wednesday to Friday will be three days of shoegazer heaven...

Tonight!! Tuesday, August 11

Shilpa Ray @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $8
Shilpa Ray is a tiny woman with a massive stage presence, who plays a hand-powered harmonium, screams obscenities and hops around stage. She loves her audience and always puts on a great show. Her backing band are damn good, too. My current made-up genre name of choice for the music is "soul-punk." That won't mean anything to anyone, and that's fine, because you really should just check it out for yourself. [MySpace]


Tomorrow!! Wednesday, August 12

Himalaya @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I haven't heard Himalaya yet, but they come strongly recommended by one "Salvador." From what I can tell, they play really loud music with dense, guitar-heavy shoegaze-inspired sounds, tinted with post punk darkness. Amidst this sonic assault, great pop melodies shine through. [MySpace]


Thursday, August 13

Autodrone, Black Swan Green, Violet Hour, Vacant Lots @ Public Assembly (back room) | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $8
Another great shoegazy line-up by Vanishing Point Presents, this show features alt rocker/dream popper outfit Autodrone, an old favorite I reviewed early on in this blog. Their rich, full sound, masterful lead guitar, synthesizer sheen and angsty melodies combine to make a sound that could appeal to almost any species of rock fan. Black Swan Green is another I haven't heard yet, but "Salvador" again recommends, and I've heard good things all around. Like the others, Violet Hour has a shoegaze sound, but their music is more electronic, with layers of sound building on electro beats - wisps of vocal melody, coldly textured synthesizers, dissonant guitar feedback. Vacant Lots are kind of the odd ones out here - an excellent band, no doubt, but more garage punk than shoegaze. [Autodrone MySpace] [BSG MySpace] [VT MySpace] [VL MySpace]


Friday, August 14

The Warlocks + the Morning After Girls, the Vandelles @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan |
The Warlocks have been around quite a while now, and have garnered respect from their earliest releases. Their psychedelic music has taken a denser, noisier, darker turn in recent years, bringing shoegaze's wall-of-sound guitars into the fore. The Morning After Girls are similar, if less earthly. And the Vandelles, well, their roaring noise-surf is made for a much bigger space than Cameo Gallery, and I'm glad I'll finally have a chance to hear them on a stage that approaches the size of their music and their outstanding stage presence. [Warlocks MySpace] [MAG MySpace] [Vandelles MySpace]

Woods, Dungen @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $15
Woods are one of the best break-out bands this year, playing haunting psychedelic folk music that will leave you shivering. Dungen is an acclaimed psychedelic pop group from Sweden. At times, their music is a little too mellow for me, and at times too "fusiony." But you may as well check them out, since Woods is on the bill. [Woods MySpace] [Dungen MySpace]

Sundelles, Drums @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
If you want something smaller, cheaper or more off the beaten track, check out this show instead of the others. I keep trying to hear the Sundelles and missing them. Their music is some sort of old school garage-pop with sweet 50's melodies and an unpolished, noisy, DIY flavor. The Drums are headlining. I haven't heard them, but I've heard good things, so check them out. [Sundelles MySpace] [Drums MySpace]


Saturday, August 15

Pterodactyl @ Southpaw | , Brooklyn | $12
Pterodactyl just keeps getting better and better. Their frantic guitars and wild yelling are the sound of pure joy. The unique and intensely complex guitar and drum arrangements make brains happy. The passionate delivery makes hearts happy. Go to Southpaw, and be happy. (And get there on the early side, since Pterodactyl isn't the headliner.) [MySpace]