Live Review: Los Campesinos! at Bowery Ballroom [11.30.07]
It is always good when you go to a show without expectations and are pleasantly surprised by the quality of its outcome. The Los Campesinos! set at the Bowery on Friday night was exactly that kind of show. If you haven't heard of them already, this band from Cardiff, Wales is made up of 7 school friends who all adopted the surname Campesinos, play pop with a bit of UK punk thrown in, and a whole lot of fun. To be honest, I have been listening to the Los Campesinos! EP Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (Arts & Crafts, July 2007) for the last several months, it's solidly constructed pop music along the same lines as other Arts & Crafts artists like Broken Social Scene, as it should since it was produced with David Newfield. Anyhow, the show...
I was a bit worried when I showed up on Friday night because, while I have been listening to the EP for months, it is quite short and I was a bit worried that they wouldn't be able to engage the crowd and that the set itself would be extremely short. Luckily, Los Campesinos! did NOT only highlight the songs from their EP, but rather opened with some new stuff. The band did end up playing all of the songs from their EP, but interspersed them with some really fantastic new ones. Unfortunately I can't help you with the names of those songs, but...
The first song they played from their album was "Please Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s)," a sweet number that highlights the strength of the bands' female members and vocalist, which they followed up with "It Started With a Mixx," which is one of my favorite songs. The band's tart lyrics are smoothed over by their melodic pop sound but it's really quite snarky.
Los Campesinos!' new songs are the ones you need to look out for, though, because they pack a punch! The songs from their EP may be a bit too saccharine for many people, but the newer ones definitely sounded a little bit dirtier and more gritty. Perhaps the band is just maturing and developing a better sense of their own abilities, perhaps they're moving in a different direction, but whatever it is I like it a lot and I absolutely plan on picking up their new album when it is released next year!
They ended the set, of course, with their single "You Throw Parties We Throw Knives," which is way more fun to listen to live than on the stereo. The band really got into it and their energy was infectious. The best was saved for last, though, and they closed their set with a cover of a Pavement song, "Frontwards" and "You, Me, Dancing!" (actually not sure about the order there, but who cares?) The cover is on their EP and it is quite good, although live is always better, but I have to say it lacks the intensity of the original. And how can you not love a song that's all about scenes and (not) dancing?
Unfortunately the band will be sticking to their side of the pond for the next few months, but you can keep yourself updated by checking out their site at www.loscampesinos.com. You can also get a preview of what's to come on the 2008 album by checking out The International Tweexcore Underground at Arts & Crafts.
Photos by TomVu. Thanks!
Labels: bowery ballroom, concerts, los campesinos, rock
posted by annatastic @ 10:07 AM link |
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