There were high hopes for this show. I had only recently discovered this all-girl band from California. I was lucky enough to get an original pressing of their debut LP and score the limited cassette through Sub Pop...so needless to say - I was full of anticipation. Doors opened timely, which was surprising, but the first band, Dirty Beaches, did not get started until 9:30.
Dirty Beaches was a one-man effort, Alex Zhang Hungtai to be more specific. From looks alone, which consisted of James Dean walking off the set of Twin Peaks, Maisy surmised we were about to be crooned. She was spot on with her assumption. Crooning may be too elegant a description for what we experienced. If Julee Cruise was an angry Asian male - she'd been standing on stage at The Social this night. Alex employed loop effects to deliver the soundscape, and layered that with his voice and guitar. The effect was absolutely mesmerizing. The only disappointment was (in retrospect)... he didn't play for the remaining three hours we were there. Little did we know Dirty Beaches was setting the precipice by which all other bands on the bill would fail to reach.
La Sera was second on the line-up. I'd call them an indie band, but nothing about them made them unique.Though proficient and solid as a band, they simply didn't manage to impress me. None of the songs connected with me lyrically or musically. The crowd seemed to enjoy them well enough, but for me personally, they played too long. I may simply be too old to appreciate this band.
Tennis was the third band on the bill. Apparently Tennis' roots are in Marathon, Florida, and it sounded like it. I imagine Marathon as sleepy, boring, and forgettable. This was a three-piece that had a tiny pixie at the helm and was keyboard-guitar-drum driven. Though significantly more impressive musically than Tennis - I still felt disconnected from them. I'd measure half the crowd as being here to see this band. Two of the songs would be something I'd own, but amid the blandness that was the rest of it - I'd rather pass. Their set was too long as well.
Finally, the Dum Dum Girls. While I will admit they looked amazing, and out-performed the previous two bands, they certainly didn't sound amazing. I was looking for the indie/lo-fi 60's girl-group pop revivalists I adored from their studio releases. What we received was a heavy dose of an indie band burning at both ends. I don't know if it's their standard fare, but they was zero chemistry between the members, and the hot mess that was the bassist looked like she was ready to walk at the drop of a hat. My favorite songs were nearly unrecognizable because the bass was too heavy, the vocals were too lifeless, and the delivery so aggressive. I imagined a band that played pop songs to be the life of the party - but all I felt was that even if one of these girls would give me the time of day, they'd stab me afterwards and then talk bad about me to my friends. The only mesmerizing aspect to watching the Dum Dum Girls performance was the energy and playing style of their drummer. She was absolutely captivating.
I'd go see Dirty Beaches again in a heartbeat. The rest of the bill - not on your life. Even the new material that the Dum Dum Girls presented was done so in such a poor fashion, I can't even envision buying their new e.p. This was the first of four shows we have this month, I hope it doesn't set a precedent.
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