June 11, 2008
The Young Knives
NY2LON Live Reviewby Rachy P from NYC
It was 100 degrees outside as well as inside of Mercury Lounge on Monday night, but it was the perfect environment for a hilarious, sweaty gig from The Young Knives, a band whose best-known song includes the line, "Hot summer/what a bummer." I have been so busy falling in love with TYK's latest album, Superabundance, that I forgot about their older songs, so it was a nice surprise when they played a few "oldies but goodies" during their short set, which focused mainly on new material.
TYK's new album is all sorts of amazing. Creative, smart, sometimes humorous, sometimes melancholic lyrics mixed with a dancey, excited rhythm section make this an album that you don't want to turn off. The new album is also more full than their last, with more guitars, trumpets, and even some orchestral sounds. Needless to say, I was more than pleased when their live show captured the sound from their record; many bands aren't able to do this and it's quite a feat. They played almost all of the songs from the new album, so those in the audience who hadn't yet heard the album got a nice sampling.
Aside from making great music, The Young Knives also make great banter. I've seen them a few times before but I forgot just how funny they can be onstage. Brothers Henry Dartnall and The House Of Lords (those are the names they go by) go at each other as if they were young boys, yet they do it in such a clever way that you can't help but laugh even though they're being awfully mean to one another. The audience was in fits of laughter, even as the band mocked our bands and writers, claiming nothing good ever came out of America. For those in attendance, it was a 2-for-1 deal: we paid to see a music gig but got the bonus of a comedy act.
The openers--all three--also made the ticket worthwhile. These days it's rare that I like one of the support bands, but I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself enjoying all three. Arriving to gigs early is worth it for nights like this one. A brief rundown on the support:
Who: Gustaf Heden
For fans of: Sondre Lerche
Sounds like: charming, endearing European who could model on the side and whose English is better than most native speakers'.
Myspace
Who: The Magic Wands
For fans of: The Kills
Sounds like: Sexy boy-girl duo who sing about...sex. They even use a drum machine, just like The Kills.
Myspace
Who: The Postelles
For fans of: Buddy Holly?
Sounds like: 1960s, surfy, preppy pop
Myspace
Posted by ny2lon at June 11, 2008 03:34 PM
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