Favourite gigs of 2012

2012 was most certainly a year for concert-going, I managed to get to 58 shows, where I usually go to around 20-25 a year. One of the biggest benefits about moving to New York has been the easy access to concerts, not to mention the quality of acts that obviously come through, or are from the city. It took me a little while to get going, the second half of the year in particular saw a surge of gigs (51 between May and December). It's a time for lists, and I'm working on my list of favourite albums from the year (as well as my next compilation), but for now, here are my favourite shows I managed to get to (all pictures are mine):

1) Grizzly Bear -  Radio City Music Hall - 24th September: I swooned over this gig in a previous blog entry and so I can't really add anything other than the re-emphasise that this was the best concert I have ever been to.

2) Nada Surf - Webster Hall (7th of April) + Bowery Ballroom (14th/15th of December): A bit of a cheat, putting up 3 shows as one, but there you go. If I were being picky then maybe the Webster Hall show was the pick of the bunch in terms of a performance although the Bowery Ballroom shows felt more special, perhaps because they were the last two shows of the tour and they played a huge setlist which included songs from every album. I've been a fan of the band since their debut album and been seeing them live for over 10 years, but I never thought I'd get to hear something like Deeper Well so it was a genuine thrill when they broke that one out (of which I took a video which can be viewed here). Nada Surf are a hugely special band for me and they always deliver. 

3) Chromatics - New Museum - 5th of September: This was a free gig (sponsored by pitchfork if I recall correctly), which included an afterparty on the roof. Chromatics put on an incredible performance and to cap the evening sipping free wine looking over Manhattan at night whilst enjoying a DJ set by Oneohtrix Point Never is probably something I will remember for many years to come.

 

4) Bitch Magnet - La Poisson Rouge - 25th October: Possibly the greatest surprise this year was not only the 3-CD re-issue of Bitch Magnet's complete recorded output, but the band reuniting to play some shows! They played an incendiary set and really surpassed expectation.

 
5) Diiv - Music Hall Williamsburg - 18th of October: This was a Captured Tracks CMJ showcase event, which also included Dignan Porch, Thieves Like Us and Mac DeMarco (who was good, but was better when we saw him headline a show at Death By Audio in August). I'd also seen Diiv earlier in the summer at an outdoor gig which was very good, but their performance here was almost brutal. The only downside was the amount of douchebags who crowdsurf, I don't really understand it, shows aren't about individuals in the audience yet some people seem to think they are... anyway, it was a spectacular performance.

6) Bob Mould - Williamsburg Park 7th of September: Another show I have already reviewed, Bob was really on form!

7) TV On the Radio - Commodore Barry Park - 25th of August: TVotR are one of my favourite bands, and I've had the pleasure of seeing them a couple of times in London over the years, but both times have had a few issues with the sound. Not only did this show have a triumphant home-gig feel to it, but the sound was also spot on and the the band ripped through an extraordinary set.

8) Dan Deacon / John Maus / Roomrunner - Hudson River Rocks - 12th of July: This was a free outdoor event, I'm mentioning all three acts because they were all fantastic for different reasons. Despite being dogged by technical issues throughout, Roomrunner pummelled the crowd with their abrasive grunge-influenced sound. John Maus performs with a passion and spirit that is perhaps unrivaled, what should be little more than glorified karaoke turns into some kind of fantastically demented pop sermon. Finally, Dan Deacon takes audience participation to new levels, creating dance-offs and all sorts of games in the crowd (of course, as an uptight Englishman who internalises everything, I moved off to the side to enjoy from a distance!), backed by two drummers who disappear into a blur of activity, Deacon's music is equally as enchanting as his earnest between-song banter.

9) Ty Segall - The Well - 22nd of September: A joint headline show with Thee Oh Sees, who were also highly enjoyable, but Ty Segall's set certainly stole the show. The crowd again was a little bit annoying for my liking (I did wince when someone crowd surfed over the barrier (where there were no guards) and landed head first onto concrete - "medic!"), but Segall's fat guitar licks was a sonic assault in its own right.

10) Rush - Barclays Center - 22nd of October: Personal bias may find them sneaking into 10th place, or perhaps I have tried to counter that and they really should be higher... regardless, Rush put on a great show in support of their latest album, Clockwork Angels (which I reviewed earlier in the year), with a setlist that seemed more fresh than recent tours and backed by a string section on many songs gave a different dynamic to the show.

Complete list in date order (UK date format! And yes, I keep a spreadsheet...):

Dum Dum Girls	07/02/2012	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Vivian Girls	10/02/2012	Gansevoort Plaza
Barry Adamson	20/02/2012	Other Music
Lee Ranaldo	20/03/2012	Other Music
Nada Surf	07/04/2012	Webster Hall
Pulp	11/04/2012	Radio City Music Hall
Terry Malts	20/04/2012	Mercury Lounge
Mark Lanegan Band	10/05/2012	Webster Hall
Violens	16/05/2012	(le) poisson rouge
The Adicts	17/05/2012	Best Buy Theater
La Sera	19/05/2012	Cameo Gallery
The Clean	05/06/2012	(le) poisson rouge
Rain Machine	09/06/2012	Union Pool
Laura Marling	14/06/2012	Prospect Park
Kurt Vile	16/06/2012	Central Park
Veronica Falls	29/06/2012	South Street Seaport
Guided by Voices, TPoBPAH, Cloud Nothings, War on Drugs	07/07/2012	Central Park
Dan Deacon / John Maus / Roomrunner	12/07/2012	Hudson River Park - Pier 84
Carina Round	24/07/2012	Knitting Factory
Mordus	02/08/2012	Fontanas
Wild Flag / Misson Of Burma / Ted Leo	03/08/2012	Prospect Park
Diiv, Wild Nothing & Grimes	09/08/2012	Hudson River Park - Pier 84
Little Dragon	10/08/2012	Prospect Park
Eternal Summers	12/08/2012	Fulton Stall Market
Nude Beach	13/08/2012	Other Music
The Drums	22/08/2012	Brooklyn Bowl
TV On the Radio	25/08/2012	Commodore Barry Park
Mac DeMarco	30/08/2012	Death By Audio
Chromatics	05/09/2012	New Museum
La Sera	06/09/2012	Helmut Lang
Bob Mould	07/09/2012	Williamsburg Park
Jesus and Mary Chain	13/09/2012	Irving Plaza
Jesus and Mary Chain	14/09/2012	Irving Plaza
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti	15/09/2012	Union Transfer, Philadelphia
Thee Oh Sees / Ty Segall	22/09/2012	The Well
Grizzly Bear	24/09/2012	Radio City Music Hall
Widowspeak	26/09/2012	Brooklyn Bowl
Neil Young and Crazy Horse / Foo Fighters / Black Keys	29/09/2012	Central Park
Dum Dum Girls	01/10/2012	Other Music
Afghan Whigs	05/10/2012	Terminal 5
Adam Ant	06/10/2012	Best Buy Theater
Port-Royal	12/10/2012	Pianos
Fletcher C. Johnson	17/10/2012	Pianos (upstairs)
Braids	17/10/2012	Pianos
Diiv, Thieves Like Us, Mac DeMarco, Dignan Porch	18/10/2012	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Gap Dream	20/10/2012	Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
Rush	22/10/2012	Barclays Center
Louis CK	24/10/2012	NY City Center
Bitch Magnet	25/10/2012	(le) poisson rouge
Molly Nilsson	04/11/2012	Public Assembly
The Fresh and Onlys	08/11/2012	Music Hall of Williamsburg
Animal Collective	05/12/2012	Terminal 5
Subsonics	07/12/2012	The Grand Victory
Of Montreal	11/12/2012	Webster Hall
Nada Surf	14/12/2012	Bowery Ballroom
Nada Surf	15/12/2012	Bowery Ballroom
Blood Orange	17/12/2012	Sony Store
Metz	18/12/2012	Generation Records

A Universe From Nothing - Book Review

As hurricane Sandy ravaged New York City and the rest of the North East, it was an ideal time to hunker down and finish the latest book I was reading. While nature wreaked havoc all around, coupled with the contents of the book, it was obvious yet again that reality is much more awe inspiring than fairytale.

Lawrence Krauss is one of the leading names in cosmology and theoretical physics, and is the director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University. He has written a number of popular science books.

A Universe From Nothing gives an account of the latest findings in cosmology, and attempts to bring some light as to why there is something rather than nothing. It turns out that there is a lot going on in "nothing", and it has nothing to do with the supernatural. We are told about the breakthroughs of science over the course of the last century and more, right up to the knowledge of matter and anti-matter particles popping in and out of existence within empty space. 

It's an invigorating subject, and the book was spawned from the popularity of a lecture that Krauss did back in 2009, which has had over 1.6 million youtube hits at the time of writing. 

The original lecture is below and well worth your time.

Krauss' style is sharp, incredibly witty and filled with humour but perhaps most distinctly, very quick-fire. This style is also prominent in the book, and in terms of being quick-fire, perhaps to its detriment. I found myself struggling to keep up with the content somewhat and this is either my fault for simply failing to grasp some of the information, Krauss' fault for not explaining them well enough, or the fact that the subject matters are simply quite difficult in the first place! Perhaps the book needed to be longer than just under 200-pages to flesh out all the ins and outs. However, despite sometimes being hard to follow, the overall picture is clear, reality is the way that it is and not the way we would like it to be.


I had the pleasure of seeing one of his lectures earlier this year at the Hayden planetarium, where I also purchased the book. Krauss is a fantastic public speaker, thoroughly engaging and funny, and aided by various slides, was much more digestible than the book. The lecture was similar to the one posted above, but updated a little more, including indulging in some of the backpedaling that theologians and philosophers have had to go through as we start to know more about what nothing is. If you ever get the chance to see him lecture, do so.

Christopher Hitchens was going to write the foreword for the book, but had to stop when he became too sick, apparently he was about halfway done. I spoke to Professor Krauss about Hitch after the event and you could sense their friendship and admiration he had for him.

In Christopher's absence, Richard Dawkins wrote the afterword and gives the book a ringing endorsement, perhaps overly enthusiastic, but nobody writes better than Dawkins when trying to highlight the virtues and inspiration of science.

I also managed to meet Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who introduced the lecture and stayed around afterwards. It took me about an hour to meet him as other people muscled in ahead (I think I'm just too nice to do that...), but it was a thrill to hear him debate with various people who had somewhat deluded views... it's amazing to see so many people appear to be disappointed that the world is not going to end in the near future through a variety of reasons (Mayan calendar, giant asteroid, etc, etc). One person even said to him "Genesis is mostly true...", I applaud Neil's patience as he must have heard all of these things before, but seems to treat each occasion with a feverish enthusiasm for the virtues of science.

Overall, I would say the book is a good read, but I couldn't help but feel that I was missing something. One of religions last cards is "why is there something rather than nothing?", but we are very close to having a plausible scientific explanation for just that cowardly fallback into the unknown that theologians cling to (even though in the highly unlikely event there is a god, it's even more unlikely it's the god as described by any of the worlds religions...). 

The book perhaps does not answer what "nothing" is to the satisfaction of all, because people can reframe what "nothing" is to fit their own agendas, the book is upfront about what notions of "nothing" are being dealt with, and given the advances of the last hundred years, perhaps even experts at obfuscation will ultimately be left dumbfounded in the future.

Global Festival - Central Park: Neil Young, Foo Fighters, Black Keys and more

I was fortunate enough to "win" tickets in the lottery for the Global Festival at Central Park's great lawn.

Global Citizen's own FAQ states: Global Citizen is a tool to amplify and unite a generation’s call for justice. It’s a place for you to learn, and act, to bring an end to extreme poverty.

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I think that forcing the concert goers to not be allowed to bring in outside food and drink is not a good start to the message of ending world poverty. Unless you want to starve 60,000 people so that they might experience what it is like to go without! I had to throw out a SEALED bottle of water (and downed another), and the mountains of perfectly good food and beverage that others had to waste is really unforgivable. I figured that there would be some decent food trucks once we got out to the field (one way of scoring points to get into the draw was to buy organic food, so I thought they'd be promoting that...), but in our area there was one tiny little stall that sold a few dodgy $8 sandwiches (all of which had cheese, which meant I went through the day on a packet of crisps that cost me $3).

Once inside we were ring-fenced into "pens" which I suppose is a way to stop obnoxious doucehbags from thinking they're entitled to get to the front by turning up late and barging their way through the crowd, although it obviously just meant that many people barged their way as far as the barrier then asked the security if they could get into the front pen (I overheard one person moaning "this is the furthest away I've ever been from the stage at a gig", cry me a river...)... we arrived as they closed off the "first" pen so were at the front of the second pen, I'm guessing we were about 100 yards from the stage, not too bad all things considered, we decided to stay put for the day though we wouldn't have had much choice in that anyway since we were penned in.

So, the organisation and ethics of the day were off to a dubious start... in any case I was looking forward to the music and expected it to be interspersed with lots of overly sentimental appeals for support. That was exactly what we got, I sympathise greatly to those suffering from poverty and those in need, I'm just not sure throwing a big concert is the way to spread these ideas, the crowd were not particularly interested in the big screen videos and I could not hear any of the speakers due to crowd chatter and certainly those around me were getting agitated as the day wore on. People come to a day like this to see the bands.

Anyway, so was the music any good?! First act K'Naan was ok, a little sentimental and cheesey but he's writing about his life experiences and the genuine troubles he's had to go through, so it's hard to be too critical, it just didn't resonate with me. 

Band of Horses were up next, I'd listened to their previous record but honestly couldn't remember any of their songs, which probably says it all. They were ok but it was a bit bland, music-for-the-masses type of rock. 

Next up, John Legend, who was not on the bill, made a brief appearance and sang John Lennon's Imagine, I don't really know Legend's work but I hear the name all the time. Anyway, he mumbled the "and no religion too" lyric, which would be a great start to ending world poverty, and a sure way to end polio, which would probably have happened already if it weren't for religious influence in the three remaining countries on the planet where polio is still a problem... and then ended by saying "god bless"! Just an odd observation...

The speakers appealing for support ranged from celebrities and those involved with various charities, Olivia Wilde spoke a few times and came across as very sincere and that she was a well-rounded individual who could take in any subject, delivered in a bubbly style that is more likely to get people involved. I'd love to meet her and find out more about what it was like to have Christopher Hitchens as a babysitter!

People seemed to be going crazy because Selena Gomez was one of the speakers, I now know what it feels like to be old because I have no idea who she is...

Now we were heading toward the three main acts, The Black Keys played a decent and high energy set although for me it didn't really get going until about half-way through. I have three of their albums that I enjoy and I was expecting them to pummel out that really fat guitar sound that I know (the last album I have is Attack and Release...) but it seemed a bit cleaner and, well... nice for the most part. I'm glad I've seen them though and they saved the best to last with a rasping rendition of I Got Mine.

Next up were the Foo Fighters, I've seen the Foos twice before but not for 10 years, so I was quite looking forward to seeing them again. Some may scoff at their output but when it comes to pop-rock Dave Grohl really knows how to write a good tune, although personally I had rather tuned out after 2002's One By One, which I think is their best album, since then they've been at best average with the odd good single. In any case, those first four albums are all very good. We got a bit of a greatest hits set and Grohl really knows how to work a crowd, I think they suffer a bit too much with the false-ending of songs, that works a couple of times but quite often it's best just to finish a song rather than deliver a crescendo then go back into the song and finish it again. A few bands seem to suffer from this unnecessary excess. The band indicated that this was the last show they have planned and that they don't know when they will play again, if that does turn out to be their last ever show then I think they can be happy with such a huge send-off. Grohl said during the Foo Fighters set that they wished they could play all night, but that he wanted to see Neil Young!

For me, I was there to see Neil Young. Foo Fighters and the Black Keys were a nice bonus, but I'm a big NY fan. I was flabbergasted to see a bit of an exodus after Foo Fighters finished! Anyway, after a bit of wait Neil Young and Crazy Horse came out onto the stage and played an absolutely blistering set! One word of praise for the whole day, I have to say, is that the sound was incredible for an outdoor concert, it was faultless for all the bands. They opened with an extended version of Love and Only Love from Ragged Glory, which seemed an appropriate message for the day.

We then got old favourite Powderfinger followed by two new songs, Born in Ontario and Walk Like a Giant which was stretched out to about 15-minutes, Young's guitar playing was as incendiary as ever and it was a real thrill to hear that great sound scream out. I'd seen Neil Young play in Hammersmith a few years ago, playing an acoustic set followed by an electric set, but seeing him with Crazy Horse seems to invigorate his playing. 

After the sonic assault of Walk Like a Giant, Young calmed things down with The Needle and the Damage Done, followed by another new song, Twisted Road, which is his tribute to Bob Dylan.

The highlight of the evening was Fuckin' Up, one of my favourite songs in the whole discography and it was delivered with suitable power and of course, extended! 

The whole evening was brought to a close with Rockin' In the Free World, joined on stage by all the previous acts, including Grohl and Dan Auerbach playing guitar, both of whom looked as though they could scarcely believe they were on stage playing with Neil Young.

While the organisation of the day seemed to me to be a bit chaotic and the message was fumbled and a missed opportunity, going hungry and having to stand in the same spot for 6 hours was worth it to see Neil young absolutely nail through his set and deliver numerous crushing guitar solos. 

We all have a duty to be aware of the problems that many face in the world, be it financial or social, and the day had a good message, but didn't deliver it terribly well. And while most people in the world avoid the elephant in the room (religion is not a net force for good), we have to base all future efforts on  shared humanistic values and the best evidence and methods possible (leaving faith out of the picture completely). The ideal of the global citizen is an endearing one, however.

Grizzly Bear - Radio City Music Hall 24th September 2012 review

I saw Grizzly Bear at the Roundhouse in London back in March 2010 and it was one of the best performances I've ever seen (easily blasting its way into the top 5) so my expectations for this show were significant to say the least.

Grizzly Bear at the Roundhouse - March 2010

The band have just released new album, Shields, which is another fine addition to their discography, coming off the back of the majestic, Veckatimest, it must be difficult for a band to follow up something like that, but Shields is certainly one of the finest releases this year.

View from our seats

Radio City Music Hall is truly a wonderful venue, I saw Pulp there earlier in the year (my wife's review) and it is a beautiful room in which to see a band.

Support band, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, a rock trio led by guitarist Ruban Nielson ploughed through a garage-rock set but were not afraid to cut loose on some long and ferocious guitar solos.

The acoustics of the room were perfect for Grizzly Bear's lush melodies and soaring harmonies, the sound at the venue was crystal clear and the best I've ever experienced. The light show had been upgraded from the last tour, which had featured lights in glass bottles suspended in mid-air, we were treated to a "floating lantern" type of display, creating different formations during the course of the night. It was all tastefully done and knew when to drench the hall in light and when to dim everything down low, our seats were up on the first mezzanine so while the view wasn't the most intimate we did get the full effects of the lights.

Radio City Music Hall - 24th September

The set focused heavily on the latest album, with 8 of the 10 tracks played (6 from Veckatimest, 3 from Yellow House and 1 from Horn of Plenty completing the set), all of the new songs come across incredibly well live, like old favourites already.

One thing that is utterly mesmerising about their live show is the vocal harmonies, which are so enchanting on the records and are performed immaculately on stage, you can feel your spirits race as the vocals ejaculate across the room time and time again to utter perfection. An orgy involving the Byrds, Beach Boys and the Beatles could scarcely compete.

Special mention should also go to Aaron Arntz who is joining them onstage on this tour playing a myriad of instruments. He takes a backseat while the band take up their customary positions in a line across the stage, giving each member an equal footing up front.

Picking highlights is virtually impossible when the setlist has such a wonderful flow to it, and being performed so well. There's no sitting around waiting for them to play a crowd favourite. Having said that, Sleeping Ute, Yet Again, A Simple Answer, Cheerleader, Ready Able were all performed with such sweeping beauty that it seems reasonable to give them a shout out. And of course While You Wait for the Others is a behemoth of a song that seems to have everything.

 

In my experience of New York so far, one observation is that audiences don't really make all that much effort for an encore. I don't know if that's just a lazy attitude and people know a band are going to come back anyway (they don't always) or what, but the audience really demanded an encore here and the roar when the band came back onstage was spine tingling. We were treated to a dreamy rendition of Knife (though for the first 30 seconds the amps weren't turned up all the way!) and then On a Neck, On a Spit both from Yellow House.They ended with an acoustic version of, All We Ask, which was transformed into a longing lullaby, as the band harmonised for a final time the chorus seemed to resonate the relationship this particular listener has with their music perfectly:

I can't
Get out
Of what I'm into
With you

The band are so in tune with their music and masters of their craft, and while some bands may have felt pressure at playing such a prestigious venue in their hometown with many friends and relatives in the audience (Ed's 91 year old Grandmother flew in to see them for the first time), everything seemed like a celebration of what they had achieved up to now. A victory for music integrity. I suspect the band will see it as a significant moment in their career and for me it was quite simply the best concert I have ever been to.



Set List:
Speak in Rounds
Adelma
Sleeping Ute
Cheerleader
Lullabye
Yet Again
Shift
Gun-Shy
Ready, Able
A Simple Answer
Foreground
While You Wait For The Others
What's Wrong
Two Weeks
Sun In Your Eyes
-------------------
Knife
On A Neck, On A Spit
All We Ask

The band have a few North American dates left this year before heading to the UK and Europe, finishing off in Australia and New Zealand. Miss them at your peril, tour dates here.

 

 

Bob Mould - Williamsburg Park - 7th of September 2012: Live Review

 
I have been a fan of Bob Mould for about 8 years (a drop in the ocean compared to the length of his career!) but had never managed to see him live until now (not for the want of trying). Originally this show was going to be at Webster Hall but was moved (and subsequently made free) to Williamsburg Park.

To coincide with the 20th anniversary of Sugar's resplendent masterpiece, Copper Blue, Mould has been playing it in full this year, and seemingly inspired has just released his latest studio effort, Silver Age, which is very much in that power-pop style, lead single The Descent has the following promotional video:

The show was opened by Cymbals Eat Guitars, I enjoy both of their albums so it was good to see them rattle through selected cuts from both (including my favourite track, Rifle Eyesight), doubly-so because I missed their set supporting The Flaming Lips at the Troxy in London in 2009 (train delays!).

Playing as a trio (just like Sugar and Husker Du, of course), Mould is joined on bass by Jason Narducy from Telekinesis and Jon Wurster from Superchunk on drums (whose playing was particularly ferocious). They blitzed through Copper Blue with the enthusiasm and freshness of a new release.

We were then treated to a couple of cuts from Silver Age, I thought that we'd get most of the album having just witnessed a celebration of material 20 years ago, but after three new songs we were treated to a quartet of Husker Du songs, including one of my very favourites, Hardly Getting Over It.

The set was rounded off with another song from Silver Age, Keep Believing. Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn joined the band in the encore to sing Husker Du's Something I Learned Today. I have to confess I'm not really a fan of the Hold Steady and I didn't recognise him, but he performed the song as if fulfilling a life-long fantasy.

Representing almost all of the Husker Du discography, the band also ripped through early single Keep Believing before returning for a second encore and blasting out Makes No Sense At All from Flip Your Wig.

Hopefully I'll catch Bob play many more times in the future, this concert was utterly thrilling. Such  is the strength of his solo material, I came out thinking about dozens of songs I'd have also loved to hear, and while the Husker Du songs felt like a treat, I was surprised how little we got from his solo material (only 4 songs from the latest album).

I also picked up both Sugar re-issues for $15 each from the merch stand and am looking forward to the live discs in particular. 

Setlist:
        (Copper Blue played in full)
        The Act We Act
        A Good Idea
        Changes
        Helpless
        Hoover Dam
        The Slim
        If I Can't Change Your Mind
        Fortune Teller
        Slick
        Man on the Moon
------------------------------------
        Star Machine
        The Descent
        Round The City Square
        Hardly Getting Over It*
        Could You Be The One?*
        I Apologize*
        Chartered Trips*
        Keep Believing

        Encore:
        Something I Learned Today*
        In A Free Land*
        Encore 2:
        Makes No Sense At All*

*Husker Du songs