Eff Glasgow! It's All About Illinois!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a HOchieS first - an opening act at a small venue in our now not-so-short concert history gets its own blog post.

Despite constant bitchin' that support bands are unnecessary for small venue concerts, I actually enjoy seeing them because I like to see what's under my radar that I should be all up ons.

Concert after concert of horrendous acts (other than the Cloud Room who were decent) had my faith wavering. How could it not after the monstrosity that was Mr. Lif & BYOP? Those two alone should have deterred me from going to any concert, period.

Finally, a band came along and dispelled the HOchie curse of long hours of standing around amongst assholes just to get a good spot in front.

The void was filled by them partially (there were two support bands and the second one was mostly ass so I still had to stand for a while in agony) with music that was not only good but in my opinion, their performance was even better than the headliner.



They were not without their fair share of 'WTF" moments, but overall, the band Illinois was phenomenal.

It's rare for me to enjoy a show to near max without knowing lyrics to songs but that was not the case here. I knew not much about them (but had previewed a little before I went and was slightly interested) and certainly not enough to know lyrics or what they even looked like.

The show was very well put together, played, fun, unexpected, danceable, rock-worthy enough for a headbanging session, crowd interaction was there and good crowd feedback kept it fresh.

That's a true testament. If your band can keep it fantastic even if the crowd doesn't know the material but you make them walk away talking about the greatness that is you, then that's saying a lot.

We actually were greeted by them when we entered the hall. There were a bunch of guys on the stage, setting up their own equipment in true "opening band" form.

They set up. Then they left.

Okay. So what now?

We waited around some more, and listened to some really bad music filler set.

Then, in came the boys from Pennsylvania. Yes. Not Illinois but Pennsylvania. They're slightly clever like that...I guess.

The first thing we noticed was one of the members was using a signed guitar. We don't know who signed it (maybe the Fratellis?) but then I realized my attention should have actually been focused on the lead singer.



The man had a banjo.

The banjo playing filtered in nicely with their set. It wasn't very distinguishable at first and he soon traded off for a guitar and later on a keyboard.

And then in came that banjo again.

And suddenly...



...Banjos are no longer Deliverance creepy.

Okay, who am I kidding. Deliverance has ruined banjos for everyone. But still...I am willing to shove that memory to the back of my head and replace it by the excellent use of a banjo as brought to me by Illinois.

WTF Moments of the Night:

1. The "dancing" put on by the lead. It just should not have been done but ah, it's really funny seeing white boys trying to dance sometimes. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I was cringing. It was an Elaine moment or something.
(This is not true of Alex Turner though. He may not 'dance' out in full but his head bopping is very cute. No one should speak ill of our little genius boy.)

2. So they may not lyrical geniuses at all times but not a lot of people are (unless again, you're Alex Turner and you were born, not only a clown hooligan but a brilliant one at that!). Not everyone can be a genius but no worries, they had music and style to cover up that bullsheet.

3. I'm not quite sure where the guitarist put his cigarette during the show but it was like magic. One moment it was there, and the next it was not. He probably put it in his guitar strings but I didn't see it. The man was a magician!

4. The guys were drinking some lame ass beer that upset Beetchie (coors, was it?). But then they graduated to heiniken which redeemed them some in her eyes, I think.

5. WTF was that telephone? It was cool. It seemed to be some kind of voice-altering synthesizer dealie. I liked it plenty. I want one too. Do you think E-bay or Amazon would have one?



So, I'm now on a hunt for clips of their live performances because they translate well live but not as good on their EP. I can live with that though and I'm determined to see them again in concert. I hope next time it'll be for their own headlining show because these guys from Bucks County truly deserve it. I'm waiting for them to break out. I'd hate to see them fade into nothingness and/or not grow musically. They've got serious potential.

Don't disappoint me, guys!

And thanks for putting on a fantastic show and salvaging the night.







Here's to Chris Archibald, Martin Hoeger, Andrew Lee and JohnPaul Kuyper.

Currently listening to: "Nosebleed" by Illinois.

Goddamned Scots, Speak Some Goddamned English!

It was a flashback.

Please come flashback with Or 2.

Let's go back to November 2006 to that weekend in Edinburgh when Char Kar, Battler and I were surrounded by a bunch of Scots and had our lives depended on getting directions from them, we would have been dead.

Even the Japanese have a better sense of the English language than the Scots!

Now flash forward to last night at the Roseland Ballroom where Beetchie and I saw The Fratellis.

It was like 2006 all over again.

If perchance The Fratellis had to issue a warning to us concert kids that we needed to clear out the venue due to the chaos that went down in NYC on Wednesday, once again, the situation would be bleak.

And so begins Or 2's tale of Wednesday, July 18th, 2007.

After some heavy rain that fell the night before that managed to downpour into Wednesday morning, slowing down the metro system - The HOchies trudged to work. When I heard that thunder at 5 AM, I really wanted to stay in bed but alas, I have to make up some kind of hours requirement at work, so to work I trudged.

It was an uneventful day and then all hell broke loose.

The disaster/misadventure of the day all began right after I met up with Beetchie for the concert. A coincidence? Ummm. Beetchie and I would rather be mum about the incident. We always know something's going to go down yet we still seem a little bit surprised...

Luckily H1 managed to get a train out of NYC before it hit but a steam pipe exploded near 42nd Street/Grand Central Terminal causing a whole lot of hell I didn't find out about until much later.

Beetchie and I ate, and went up to the Roseland Ballroom to see her pick - The Fratellis.

The line was long but we still managed to get a great spot on the floor with the magical number for me, third row from the front.

We waited amongst some rich, surprisingly really young kids, poked fun at them because they were annoying, drank a yager bomb and watch the first support band fiddle on the stage while setting up their equipment. More to come on Illinois, that support band after this post.

After Illinois, The Switches took the stage.

Oh. Goodness.

I went there not loving them and came out not loving them. They weren't bad but they weren't outstanding either. They performed two songs that were semi-decent but meh. Meh.

They can be classified under "The WTF Moments of the Night I".It's not that it was all bad but yeah, wtf:

1. Here's the lead singer that cracked me up some. Beetchie couldn't stand to look at him:



Notice the bad Flock of Seagulls' hair? Yeah. I don't ever want to hear about how Matt has bad hair again, as I told Beetchie.

2. The bassist who smiled not once during the entire set. Beetchie enjoyed him:



3. As for me, I enjoyed the little keyboardist, who I don't think is even part of the band but probably only accompanies them during live performances. He smiled the entire time and even smiled at me when he realized I was taking a picture of him. Awww, he posed until I got my shot. Cutie:



But sorry Brit dude. I'm already going after two other Brits. Maybe when you join a better band? Ahhhh. I keed.

4. This thing which Beetchie was trying to explain to me. Good picture you took there, Beetchie. Please explain its situation again:



After their roadies cleaned up their stage (wow, they had roadies!), we waited for a few for The Fratellis to show up.
And show up they did. Looking a little hard on the eyes...



They took the stage at 9.20 PM and when they began playing, H1 came to mind. They started with her favourite track or at least the one that she enjoys terrorizing me with...

The 7/18/2007 The Fratellis "Costello Music" Tour Set List:

Baby Fratelli
Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night
The Pimp
Vince the Loveable Stoner
Whistle for the Choir
Flathead
Doginabag
For the Girl
Cuntry Boys and City Girls
Pretty Like a Girl
Henrietta
Ole Black 'n' Blue Eyes
Got Ma Nuts From a Hippie

Encore:

Johnny Come Last (acoustic & solo) - (also cool was the fact that this was the first time this song was played for anyone, as the lead singer put it. At least that's what I think he said...)
Creepin' Up the Backstairs (acoustic)
Chelsea Dagger (the song everyone was waiting for - it's the hooligan anthem of 2006)



I came to this concert not totally loving this band. I, like I'm sure many others were, got hooked on "Flathead" when I heard it used in the Itunes commercial months ago. I was curious to see what the rest of the album was like because they're quite big over in the UK. I was also very wary of them because like The Caesars's "Paper Tiger", and I know I mentioned this before in a previous post, Itunes commercials sometimes feature really good songs from bands who may be under the radar but as I discovered with The Caesars, I liked the commercial song but not the album.

As it turns out, I took a chance on "Costello Music" and ended up not liking it that much. I will give them credit for being the kind of music you'd like to hear in a stadium before a football game in the UK, or at a pub as so nicely displayed in "Hot Fuzz" but for me, the album has never been in constant rotation, nor did I care enough to learn the lyrics before this show.

Simply put, Kenna's "New Sacred Cow" is still to this day, the best $9.99 album I've taken a chance on.

I thought that seeing them live wouldn't be a tragedy because they do have that fun kind of comradery going down and it wasn't but it really wasn't that fun either.

The highlights for me were my favourite songs, "Flathead" and "Henrietta" and I always enjoy a good breakdown of adding extended versions of kick ass music to a song so "Got My Nuts From A Hippie" was cool as well. I mean, they are no MUSE when it comes to riff adding but it was a decent attempt.

For Beetchie, I think her highlight was the bassist, Barry Fratelli. She loves her a bassist and he was in perfect bassist stance.



Sadly, I felt their performance was more bad than good though.

They slowed the playing down which threw me off as the album's so fast but not only that, they weren't very in-sync.

That's number 1 "WTF Moment of the Night II":

1. The Fratellis... It's okay to slow things down some. I mean, maybe not really because the music's fast on the album but I'd applaud you if you at least, played in time with each other. Tsk tsk.

2. The kids in attendance at this show. Those annoying fucks with their poor dancing was horrendous. They also were delusional and thought this was the greatest concert ever. Clearly they've never been to a concert before and would have nothing of high quality to compare it to. Stupids. Also, why were they all European?

3. The surprising young age of the crowd. H1 thinks The Fratellis should be embarrassed.

4. I couldn't understand much of what the lead singer was trying to say to us when he was talking to us. All I got was the ocassional mention of "New York" that he would make. Ah, Scots. Those hooligans slay me.

5. The Drummer Mince Fratelli's bare back! Well he wasn't actually. That was some effed up wife beater he was wearing under some effed up light show. Ahahahaha.



6. We almost got a guitar pick and the drumsticks from them. Alas, I was once again assed out by two blonde bitches.

7. Frontman Jon Fratelli's hair. This, I'm sure, is a 'WTF' for Beetchie, as it should be.



WTF Moments of the Night III:

As mentioned before, NYC was in a state of chaos on Wednesday when an old steam pipe exploded. We did not know the extent to the damage and as per usual, after the show ended I ran (and dragged Beetchie with me) all the way to 42nd Street and Madison only to discover that things were indeed REALLY bad.

Grand Central was closed off and some idiot cops, wrong and strong with the yelling at us for their not doing THEIR job, directed us and others to an entrance that didn't exist.

On the way I almost broke my foot, which is scarily becoming a norm when with Beetchie for me, by slipping on a piece of paper. I missed the train at 11.10 but luckily caught the one at 11.20 to Croton.

Beetchie was not as fortunate.

Beetchie had to catch the train back at 49th and 6th because we totally didn't think that if Grand C. was closed, that the subways weren't running.

It was a mess.

Maybe Jeebus knows but ...

I don't understand why I have bad concerts in between my good ones.

Not that I think the Fratellis will be God-awful but Switches will be.

Quote: "I think I'm coming down with love." WTF?!

::sigh::

And then there was the Bon Jovi incident.

Save me Jeebus.

I've A Secret To Tell You, TD5!

Apparently, I have a guilty-pleasure album. I don't think I've any business liking Klaxons but I kind of do. I admit it! And it's shameful. That's my early review.

As for The Fratellis...they're fun but I can't really focus on them too much. I'll have to give them a better spin a few more times. So far, my impression is that they can get annoying. Fun but annoying. You know how I feel about too many 'la la la -s' and other type noises in a song and they're that kind of band. It brings back memories of those stupid Kaiser Chiefs...

Okay.

I'm well aware that it's no secret once it goes on the blog but you other baka shouldn't judge me.

The Power of Advertising

And Ipod Commercials have struck again!

First there was "Jerk It Out" by the Caesars. Cool song but I can't say I loved the album. TD5, you crazy. However, because of the commercial we all went scurrying off to find that track, yeah?

And well, I don't know if TD5 has heard it yet but there's the new commercial featuring the song "Flathead" by the Fratellis. I like it even though I shouldn't because it sounds a lot like that damned "Horse and the Cherry Tree" song (which I hate big time) but faster and with better/fun lyrics.

I'm sure the album might suck too (as far as I can tell, only an EP is out now). Buuuut, I'll just wait on TD5 to get it for me like he did before. Har Har.

Currently listening to: "Flathead" by The Fratellis