Jenn: Fun dancity. Best thing I’ve seen thus far.

Duff: A lot of fun, I just wish the sound was better on that stage. Really got a kick out of one silly dude in the audience so loving life and dancing his heart out. Some great samples, one sounded a lot like “Funkytown” to me. Would like to see these guys again at higher volume.

Jenn: Afro beat and jazzy band. Not really my thing.

Tracy: I liked them, I would buy their record although I thought some of their sort of noodily experimental stuff was a little lame.

Jenn: Not really into this while psychedelic jam bandy thing that’s going on. A little bit of that is OK but the entire thing is a little much.

Carlos: My first time hearing them. I was surprised at how much I liked them. I would be curious to see how their music on CD sounds as opposed to live. Not sure I would like it as much.

Duff: If they cut the 10 minutes of electronic distortion out of each song, they would be really pretty and I would like them more. Maybe those parts sound better on the albums than they do live? Liked the country twang to the vocals.

Tracy: OK. Cute lead singer but a little dull.

Jenn: Meh. Rock-y but kindof boring. Even cute boys in cardigans and Scottish accents couldn’t save it.

Carlos: I guess it’s likeable. Sounds like something I’ve heard before.

Duff: Odd that the dude doesn’t lose his accent when he sings, as per the norm. They were OK but nothing special. It all sounded the same.

I’ve been trying to see this band for so long it’s not even funny. Once I was out of town, once I had to work, and once I got there 20 minutes late and they had already played! Waah! So it was great to finally see them and I was highly impressed. The bass player Wendy is the wife of Mike who is the brother of Nan, one of my best friends from New York. I went to the concert with Cathy and Paul: Paul who cuts my hair, who cuts everyone mentioned here’s hair (except Nan, but also Nan and Mike’s mom); Cathy who was one of Mike’s best friends growing up… Wendy’s sister is one of the lead vocals/guitarists…

Yeah, I was sort of predisposed to enjoy this concert, eh? They haven’t been a band that long, but they’re writing their own stuff, and I thought it was all quite fun, both musically and lyrically. They sounded polished and together and rocked the place out. Yay, the Pinks!!

Huh, I guess I never told you about this one and I forgot to put it on the list too. I’ll have to fix that tonight.

Not sure why I bought these tickets. If you only have two decent songs, even if they are REALLY good (which I do think those two songs are, and you know them if you watched Grey’s Anatomy), you’re really a fairly middle of the road band. No shame in that, maybe your album/tours shouldn’t have happened until a bunch of better songs on down the road. I realize the industry is not run for long-term success, it’s their fault more than the band’s I’m sure. Years from now, they could be a good band. Right now, not so much.

Opener: OK Go. Third time I’ve seen them. Technically they are the better band but I guess they haven’t made as much money. A much calmer set than their usual. No dancing. But sounded good.

Banterwise for both bands: Dudes. What is up with constantly telling the audience about how they are different/better/worse than the previous night’s audience? a) who fucking cares about the idiots who came to last night’s show? and b) to us, this is the ONLY concert. Tonight. You/Us. That’s it. You should pretend that too.

Hard to say what was the issue here (the mixing boards? the mikes?), but the sound was the worst of probably any show I’ve been to in the last few years: really really bad, completely distorted, lyrics indecipherable, everything muddled together.

In addition, the Aragon was the fullest I’ve EVER seen it, main floor completely full all the way to the back. Air conditioning on minimally at best, if at all. Everyone covered in sweat, what seemed like over half the males in the audience took their shirts off and some of the female audience came as close as they could without getting thrown out.

Pretty miserable evening. I went home early and listened to the CDs instead. Better sound, better surrounds. Much more enjoyable.

I had actually bought The Maccabees album the other day when I was wandering Virgin and it was playing in the store but I hadn’t gotten around to listening yet, so it was a pleasant surprise to find they were playing before The Noisettes. The lead singer has an amazing voice, despite his bizarre stage antics. My friends were postulating various illnesses/handicaps/etc., but I think it was more a case of nerves / nowhere to put his hands. Maybe he needs something to hold while he’s on stage. Someone give that boy a tambourine! They’re being hyped as the next Franz Ferdinand/best new British band/etc. etc., which as you know can often spell a band’s downfall trying to live up to the hype (Arctic Monkeys?) . Based on their live performance, I have to think these guys have a chance: they were polished and together, none of the odd gaffes you often see in a band’s early tours. And they sounded great! Interesting lyrics, rockin’ guitar licks. Have finally started listening to the album post-show: Thumbs Up for “Colour It In”.

While equally compelling in concert, musically The Noisettes are an entirely different ball game. I’ve been racking my brain all morning trying to think of others to compare them to. Thrashing, yelling, jumping = super super high energy, loud, badass performance. I’d call them “punk” before anything else. (And in an odd coincidence of timing, one of their songs was on The Sopranos finale!) Here’s a review and this one describes the lead singer as “Billie Holiday on PCP.” A lot of fun but I don’t spend a lot of time listening to this album since a) I’m not going to the gym these days (I think it’d be perfect workout music) and b) stuff that is this high energy feels very POSITIVE to me and you know I’m all about the negative.

[p.s. and this site has a photo from the same concert.]

Opener: The Reds and the Blues. Nothing that inspiring, but definitely unforgettable. Come on, when was the last time you saw a bassoon on-stage in a rock band?