Live Review: Boredoms at Terminal 5 [03.30.08]

I attended this concert, in part, for my Music of East Asia class (which focuses primarily on Japan). The following is adapted liberally from my essay. I added in footnotes in spirit of an academic paper.

"Boredoms are like a moon on a lake. Only there is no moon and no lake. Only Boredoms." This quote from Yamataka Eye, the fiercely dreadlocked leader of the described Japanese noise collective, has been circulated amongst fans for so long that its origins are unclear, magnifying the enigma of Eye’s words. The history of the band also echoes this mysteriousness, as Boredoms have evolved from their brash “acid-punk” “spastic chaos-rock period” to their more spiritual, trance-inducing sun-worshiping period [1]. This mysteriousness is also, in a sense, fitting, as those who have not experienced the band before may find it hard to situate Boredoms as a Japanese band, as a modern band, as musicians [2].

Boredoms, also consisting of Yoshimi P-We, Yojiro and Muneomi Senju, played in the round in the middle of the audience area, providing an intimate setting in an otherwise cavernous Terminal 5. This set up also allowed startling perspectives for those watching from the balconies; the centrality of the setup could only be fully appreciated from above [3]. From the third floor, I watched intensely as Eye began in darkness, harnessing two lights in his hands. As he brought them together, static, glitches and booming engines sounds blasted through the sound system. It was like looking in on a tribal ritual – indeed, Eye was yelping and screeching like a shaman – fittingly echoing the mystery and spirituality captured in the abovementioned quote. The overture led into an unrelenting chorus of tightly synchronized drumming (three drummers!), Eye’s seven-necked guitar (played percussively!) and Yoshimi’s intermittent keyboard and foot-piano (!). Considering the different sounds (distorted through complex-looking consoles) and thunderous volumes, the result was unexpectedly orderly and melodic. There was an intense physicality that connected audience to performer. It was like peering onto an unfamiliar ceremony – I can’t necessarily translate all the words, but I felt the significance of the experience. Boredoms totally seized my attention. I stopped noticing the headbangers or the people dancing or the crowd. For the intense, two-hour marathon of drums and noise, it was only Boredoms.


[Words by Diana Wong]
[Photos by Mina K]
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1. For more details on their extensive history, see Kevin Hainey’s “TIMELINE – Boredoms: The Art of Noise.”
2. Paul Hegarty’s Noise/Music: A History (New York: Continuum, 2007) provides a detailed discussion on this matter. Also a worthy read, "Full of Noise: Theory and Japanese Noise Music."
3. An even more extreme example of benefits of an aerial view comes from Boredoms’ 77Boadrum performance on 7/7/07. I watched the drum circle from the Brooklyn Bridge while other Loose affiliates were lucky enough to be on ground-level.

Live Review: Jimmy Eat World @ Terminal 5 NYC [11.09.07]

When discussing indie rock bands, there is no better way to declare your refined musical taste than to say, “I only like their old stuff.” In my experience, I have heard this phrase used with the most frequency in reference to Jimmy Eat World. JEW (I apologize for the unfortunate acronym) started their career playing ambitious, deeply layered songs that can only be described as emo. However, to the disappointment of many of their previously devoted fans, they have recently developed their sound into a blend of bombastic pop anthems and corny-yet-sweet slow ballads. If any of these jaded former fans happened to make it here to Terminal 5 this evening, I am positive that JEW was able to seduce them right back into the fold.

I arrived a bit late and had some difficulty securing my tickets from the will call booth, but when all was said and done, I ended up with an extra photo pass. At this humongous sold out venue, this turned out to be quite a valuable item. For the first three songs of the set, I was able to post up by the barricade, right in front of stage. JEW came onstage and started out with a bang, opening with “Big Casino,” the first single from their new record, Chase This Light. This was one of only four songs that JEW played from their latest release, which is surprising since they just released the album less than a month ago. They are obviously aware that they have a lot of ground to cover.

Frontman Jim Adkins says that JEW have been playing NYC since 1996. Most of their shows were undoubtedly poorly attended, until their 2001 breakthrough, Bleed American. Looking at this crowd tonight, it is hard imagining that they ever had a problem securing a fanbase. This show was open to all ages, and for a good reason. From the 15-year-old girls in the front row to the 50-year-old men drinking cocktails by the bar, JEW’s appeal has widened significantly since they tweaked their style.


JEW churned out one hit after another, mixing old and new songs together, managing to keep the audience just as happy as they are. Older songs like “Blister” and “Goodbye Sky Harbor” remind the audience of why they fell in love with JEW, and newer songs like “Always Be” and “Let It Happen” fit in just as well with the old ones. All in all, they played 22 songs for just under 2 hours. This may seem excessive, but nobody in the crowd seemed to think so.

JEW disappeared briefly before returning for a 5-song encore, which could possibly be a world record. Their country-tinged reinvention of “Your House” turned out to be a minor disappointment, but they quickly rebounded with a song for the ladies, “Hear You Me.” They followed this slow jam with their strongest song in the roster, “Sweetness,” before finishing with “The Middle” – that little tune that alienated so many fans and enchanted so many adolescents.

Say what you will about JEW, but they have not changed anything but their ambitions. If you were tired of getting dropped from major labels and underselling mid-level venues, you might start writing catchier songs too. They are clearly not wistful for the bad old days, and neither should you. They are still the exact same band that they always were; only now, they are much, much bigger. Please, don’t hate.

[Photos by Mina K ]

Live Photos: Justice at Terminal 5 [10.20.07]

My CMJ 07 ended with a bang with Justice. By "bang," I mean dangerously high volume French electro blasted from freaking stacks of Marshall amps.

Live Review: The National at Terminal 5 [10.11.07]

The paint was still drying at the Bowery Presents’ newest music venue Terminal 5 as a sold out crowd made their way inside the massive midtown space to witness The National play the inaugural show. Signs posted around the club encouraged us to explore the three floors, and boasted "bars and restrooms on every level!" Despite the clubs’ classy chandeliers and lounge areas filled with brown leather couches, perhaps my companion put it best when he said, “this place looks like a club where a murder would take place in a bad 80’s movie.” I had to agree. Maybe it was all the blue lights?

When the band took the stage, singer Matt Berninger commented that it was nice to play the first show at the new space because “you guys are judging this place more than us.” Not that he has anything to worry about- the groups’ most recent record, Boxer, presents some of the most refined and bracingly effective melancholy rock anthems that the group have ever composed, and has rightfully been abundantly praised.

The National, composed of Berninger, along with brothers Aaron & Bryce Dessner and Scott & Bryan Devendorf (and Clogs’ violinist Padma Newsome at this show) opened the set with “Start a War”, singing “We expected something/something better than before/we expected something more.” From my spot in the crowd, as I looked around at the cavernous space above me, constantly distracted by white noise from revelers in the multiple bar/lounge areas humming in the background, I knew what he was talking about. I expected something more too.

That’s not to say that the National didn’t put on an excellent show, as usual, and despite my disappointment in the venue, songs like “Slow Show” and “Ada” still drew me in to their messy narratives (“this is a song about social anxiety”, Berninger told us of the latter). After all of his down-trodden lyrics, it does feel like something of a triumph to witness Berninger twist his mouth into a playful smile, and he, along with the rest of the band, did seem very humble and excited to be playing for the large, enthusiastic crowd. Funny that I had him pegged as a jerk after the lyric from 2005's Alligator, “Karen/put me in a chair/fuck me and make me a drink”. He’s more than redeemed himself in my eyes with the exquisite songs on Boxer ( even the trumpet and trombone-fueled instrumental climax on the haunting “Fake Empire" alone), and he doesn't seem to be ordering girls around anymore either, according to the lovely “Gospel” – “hang your holiday rainbow lights in the garden/ and I’ll bring a nice icy drink to you”.

Coming back for their encore, Berninger kept his word and did in fact bring a nice icy drink for us, popping the cork on a bottle of champagne and wishing Terminal 5 a happy birthday. After ceremoniously spilling some bubbly onto the stage, he handed the rest of the bottle down into the crowd for some lucky audience members to imbibe.

I really couldn’t think of a better band to christen Terminal 5, (heck, I’d go see the National inaugurate a parking lot), but in my fantasy world, the band will stick to playing cozier spaces in the future.



[Photos by Mucow via Flickr]