They've shown us on both screens
So, um. This has taken me way too long to post about, but I went to the New Pornographers show Sunday before last, the 16th. The show was in Chapel Hill. Well, actually, it was in Carrboro, at the Cat's Cradle, but Carrboro and Chapel Hill really run right into each other, so I call it Chapel Hill. (A word of advice? Make sure you get directions to the right place. 300 W. Main is very different from 300 E. Main, in that West Main is a gas station, and East Main is the venue. I was *so* confused when I followed the directions Mapquest gave me and ended up at a closed gas station. Luckily, the ticket sorted me out, and I got there in plenty of time. This was my first time to go to a show alone, and while it was kinda weird at first, I also ended up liking it -- I kind of felt like an anthropologist, observing the habits of the American indie-kid. (At least the trucker hats seem to have stopped, and these kids were a lot less obnoxious than the ones in Little Rock, and *way* less obnoxious than the Nashville kids. (Shut up, Nashville emo kids. Yes, still.) I got in, settled into my place a little bit back, and waited happily for the show, while calling pastahero and sleestak.
The show started with Immaculate Machine, a trio from Victoria, BC. They were so cute! Sorry, but they were just really enthusiastic and seemed happy to be there, all bouncing around and stuff. Their singer is also in New Pornographers (and apparently AC Newman's niece?), so that's why they were there, but I was pleasantly surprised. In my experience, good openers are sort of like unicorns -- they may exist, but you rarely see them. They were easily one of the best openers I've seen, and I really liked them. The music was all cute and poppy, kind of like the band. Adorable.
Sadly, I was not as impressed with Destroyer. I've never been a huge fan of Dan Bejar's voice; even in the New Pornographers, I really prefer AC Newman and Neko Case. Destroyer were just meh, really, all Bejar reciting bizarre lyrics over average (to me) music. There was a song or two I liked, but I was really counting down the minutes until they could reasonably be expected to get offstage. Oddly, there was almost a fight down in the front during their set, and between two tiny tiny girls. I wasn't paying much attention, but apparently one girl was dancing and hit the other too many times. Um, wtf. What a strange show to have a fight at. (Also, girls? Destroyer is totally not worth it.)
And then, finally, New Pornographers. God, I had high hopes, but they completely exceeded them. My only criticisms, and they're minor ones: 1) no "The Body Says No", and 2) sometimes I couldn't hear AC Newman's vocals. Other than that, though, they were incredibly on. I still didn't know Twin Cinema all that well, but they played most of it, and a good mix of older songs, too. Particular highlights were "Sing Me Spanish Techno," "Miss Teen Wordpower," and "Letter from an Occupant." Neko looked hot, and I really love how her voice and the new vocalist's combine, especially in the newer songs. There was also a fair bit of talking with the crowd -- a string broke, which led to a digression about "shitty American strings" and pedals while waiting for a new guitar.
All in all, it was a lot of fun -- two encores and a lot of dancing. Since the show, I have barely stopped listening to Twin Cinema. The last show I went to was Spoon, all the way back in June, so it's nice to be in a place where I can see more shows. I'm definitely taking full advantage of being here -- Ted Leo's in a month!
The show started with Immaculate Machine, a trio from Victoria, BC. They were so cute! Sorry, but they were just really enthusiastic and seemed happy to be there, all bouncing around and stuff. Their singer is also in New Pornographers (and apparently AC Newman's niece?), so that's why they were there, but I was pleasantly surprised. In my experience, good openers are sort of like unicorns -- they may exist, but you rarely see them. They were easily one of the best openers I've seen, and I really liked them. The music was all cute and poppy, kind of like the band. Adorable.
Sadly, I was not as impressed with Destroyer. I've never been a huge fan of Dan Bejar's voice; even in the New Pornographers, I really prefer AC Newman and Neko Case. Destroyer were just meh, really, all Bejar reciting bizarre lyrics over average (to me) music. There was a song or two I liked, but I was really counting down the minutes until they could reasonably be expected to get offstage. Oddly, there was almost a fight down in the front during their set, and between two tiny tiny girls. I wasn't paying much attention, but apparently one girl was dancing and hit the other too many times. Um, wtf. What a strange show to have a fight at. (Also, girls? Destroyer is totally not worth it.)
And then, finally, New Pornographers. God, I had high hopes, but they completely exceeded them. My only criticisms, and they're minor ones: 1) no "The Body Says No", and 2) sometimes I couldn't hear AC Newman's vocals. Other than that, though, they were incredibly on. I still didn't know Twin Cinema all that well, but they played most of it, and a good mix of older songs, too. Particular highlights were "Sing Me Spanish Techno," "Miss Teen Wordpower," and "Letter from an Occupant." Neko looked hot, and I really love how her voice and the new vocalist's combine, especially in the newer songs. There was also a fair bit of talking with the crowd -- a string broke, which led to a digression about "shitty American strings" and pedals while waiting for a new guitar.
All in all, it was a lot of fun -- two encores and a lot of dancing. Since the show, I have barely stopped listening to Twin Cinema. The last show I went to was Spoon, all the way back in June, so it's nice to be in a place where I can see more shows. I'm definitely taking full advantage of being here -- Ted Leo's in a month!