Fuzzy Trio at Brighton Music Hall Leads to Musical Confusion

Just before Foster the People exploded to become one of Summer 2011's hottest acts, Common Ground's Michela Smith saw the band, along with the electric Royal Bangs and hippie Grouplove, at Brighton Musical Hall in May. Here's what she thought of the night:

This article originally appeared on Boston University's, The Daily Free Press

By: Michela Smith

The Royal Bangs, Grouplove and Foster the People proved a triple threat at Brighton Music Hall last Thursday, pumping out a night of low-fi excitement, eventually fizzling out in a monotonous wait of equipment setup hell at the end of the night.

The Knoxville trio Royal Bangs took the stage first, a surprising opener as the band is far more eminent that the other two they were sharing the bill with.

The Royal Bangs were just named as one of Spin Magazine’s “Best New Artists for April” and made their television debut on Letterman this month.

Schaefer Bangs on the Keys.

Indicative of their MySpace discovery by Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney, the Royal Bangs weave techie flourishes with guitars and voices bathed in effects.

While this layered technique works on record, it seemed to hinder the trio on the Brighton stage as they promoted their latest LP Flux Outside.

The electronic overdrive on all the instruments blurred the individual instrument lines into a cacophonic tangle rendering lead singer Ryan Schaefer completely unintelligible.

Schaefer mirrors the Doors’ Ray Manzarek on keyboards and synths, simultaneously pumping out a bass line and synth lead while guitarist Sam Stratton and drummer Chris Rusk are equally powerful in their corners of the stage.

The Royal Bangs would do well to tone down the fuzz and gel their individual talents into a more coherent sound. While they work on this, pick up Flux Outside to hear their best “Back Then It Was Different.”

Next came Grouplove, a five-piece harmony of lazy surfer ambience pierced by the solid lead voices Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper.

Sharin' the Love.

According to the L.A. Times, the five met while all vacationing on the island of Crete and formed out of “ love for one another,” which certainly shined through the shadows at Brighton Music Hall.

Still giddy from their SXSW performance, Grouplove brought fervor as they danced, stomped and jumped about the stage, pumping out instrumentals.

The band’s backing tracks are witty anthems, mixing charming acoustic guitar with catchy hooks.

Grouplove does, however, need to grow lyrically; some tracks sound a little too close to other West Coast acts, many of which perform on the Disney Channel.

Slated to perform next was Foster the People (FTP), a LA-based foursome projected to be the next MGMT. Yet, the dragging forty-five minute wait until FTP finally finished their set-up demolished any eagerness for their performance.

Sean Cimino of Foster The People

FTP echoes MGMT, but lacks the same charisma that strengthens the latter.  While FTP only has one EP, they’ve gathered quite a following with “Pumped Up Kicks,” a heavily-layered piece that features Gorillaz-like vocals.

“Kicks” was the best of FTP’s set and certainly moved Brighton. The potential power of the rest of the night, however, was lost to over-effect that clouded the vocals and instrumentals, especially after the long wait.

While Thursday ‘s show was frustrating in more ways than one, the three groups have promise for the future. Until then, we’ll just have to wait.


Photo Credits: Michela Smith

Portugal. The Man Wow Webster Hall

by Lucien Flores
The original version of this article was published on June 3, 2011 for the Daily Free Press.
 
When I last saw Portugal. The Man March 19, 2010 at the small Highline Ballroom in Manhattan, they had just released their fifth album, American Ghetto, – an album dripping with electronic-Indie-pop influence – on an independent label. Back then, lead singer John Gourley seemed to have a case of stage fright, wearing a hat and hoodie and standing sideways to the audience, often turning his back on his viewers while unleashing guitar solos in the midst of the band’s lively jams. However Gourley’s stage fright never came across as a hindrance and the band’s show was captivating. Needless to say, I made sure to pick up tickets for their next New York City go-round, a June 3 show at a sold out Webster Hall (their biggest to date).

Much has changed for Portugal. The Man in the last year. In April 2010 the Wasilla, Alaska band announced that they were bringing their act to Atlantic records. Recently they have been promoting their July release, In The Mountain, In The Cloud. However, one thing has stayed constant – the band’s live shows are still as passionate and strong as ever.

Coming out in a heavy dose of fog and ambient red and blue lights, the band jumped right into a dark and bluesy intro jam that mixed “How the Leopard Got Its Spots” and “The Home” – two strikingly different numbers made four years apart – and showed how, when it comes to live shows, you can’t predict what you’ll hear next from Portugal. The Man.


Rather than sticking to entertaining, yet predictable, studio arrangements, the band reinvents their songs to create a truly captivating live performance. Neat and tidy pop songs such as “People Say” inherit a whole new character when played live as the band delves into innovative jams that never trail off into oblivion. Not only does the band keep the songs fresh with new arrangements, but Portugal also draws from all over their catalog, playing early favorites such as “AKA M80 The Wolf” and “Chicago” alongside brand new cuts such as “Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now)” and “Senseless.”

Lesser known songs such as the aptly named “New Orleans” and the hectic “Marching With Six” also saw the light of day and the band even threw in a cover of Etta James’ classic “I’d Rather Go Blind” that sounded as if it belonged in their set.

One remarkable change in the band’s performance is that Gourley seems to have magically gotten over his stage fright. Gone are the days in which the audience would have to tilt their head and squint to get a glimpse of his whole face. Gourley traded in his hat and hoodie for a simple collared shirt and with nothing to hide behind, he faced the audience, singing and soloing with renewed vigor.

Fittingly the final of the night was the band’s magnum opus, “And I.” A cathartic song off the band’s brilliant Censored Colors (2008), it is certainly Portugal’s most “epic” number. Coincidentally this was the band’s opener for that equally brilliant show that mid-March night in 2010. Fitting bookends for this period of rapid change for Portugal. The Man.