Saturday, April 17, 2010

Sometimes the balcony offers the best view


Generally I like to get right down in front when I see any band, but I've been known to stay in the balcony at the Pour House, especially when seeing a band like The Love Language. They've now gotten to the point where any time they play, the club is going to be packed with people who react almost in a Shamanistic way. That photo was taken after Stu McLamb invited the audience up on the stage (much to soundman Jac Cain's chagrin), but it shows what was happening throughout the show: arms flailing, bodies thrashing, heads banging. Seriously. I saw one dude literally head banging and whipping his hair. That made the balcony the best place to be in order to avoid getting mauled and to snap photos like the one above. BTW, I love the zombie-looking girl holding up the blue camera.

Thursday's show was my first time seeing the new Love Language line-up, and true to reports, it's both stripped down and more polished. With fewer people on stage, the show seems more straightforward. I have to say I miss seeing Jordan McLamb (the tall guy who used to play acoustic guitar and tambourine) dancing around out front. He's now behind the drum kit and doing a fine job of it. Check out their version of "Providence" from Thursday and see what you think.


The Love Language - Providence from Mann's World on Vimeo.


Thursday's show was very heavy on  the old material. In fact, I think they only played one new song, and that was during the encore.

Light Pines were one of the openers (didn't get there in time to see the first band), and they once again blew me away. Seriously, I think they're my favorite local band of the moment, and I will be at Tir na Nog next Thurday to see them again. They remind me a lot of the T's, not musically, but in the way that they sound really familiar, but at the same time don't sound exactly like anyone in particular. They sound like an amazing, long-lost band from the '80s, one that only college DJs from that era would remember. Bass-driven, but with lots of guitar and keyboards, dancable, but not in a disco sort of way. Very much like The Bolshoi with elements of U2, INXS and New Order. Check them out below.


Light Pines from Mann's World on Vimeo.

3 comments:

Spencer Griffith said...

Actually, I think The Love Language did well over half the new record both Thursday and Saturday nights (same set), they've just been playing several of them for quite a while now. If I'm remembering correctly, the main set included Brittany's Back, This Blood Is Our Own, Blue Angel, Heart To Tell, Anthophobia and Horophones, plus This Room in the encore. The old (first album) songs I remember were Lalita, Stars, Nocturne, Sparxxx and Providence, but then again, I could be a bit off thanks to those $2 tallboys.

Karen A. Mann said...

Hmm. I actually had nothing to drink that night. Perhaps that affected my hearing! Thanks for the correction.

nevo said...

>I think they're my favorite
>local band of the moment
yep, me, too.