SBTRKT and Cubic Zirconia @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 11.1.11

Aaaaaaaarooooooooon! and Sampha 

Truth be told, we get blasted into hyperspace quite often at shows. Our addiction to this feeling is what keeps us attending concerts despite ourselves. So after a night of mind-melting dance madness hosted by SBTRKT we had a change of heart: there's no use in planning to skip shows and save money next year.
Hell, we can't even sit out on an opener when planned if the music moves us.

NYC's own Cubic Zirconia's got us up off the floor and shimmying with timbale-happy disco house bangers. Once we caught wind of what was happening on stage, the sassy singer Tiombe Lockhart won our approval. Fearless and sensual, it was difficult to keep your eyes off her. She reminded us of Buraka Som Sistema's resident dancing queen Blaya but left much booty shaking to be desired. We'll chalk it up to her dress being too tight for her to get down harder than she did. Shit did get dark real quick for the last track, a rocking finale with Lockhart rightfully screaming her ass off. It was totally out of left for CZ virgins like ourselves but cool all the same.

Our own cool was lost upon catching the dynamic duo that makes up SBTRKT live set up their stations. Seeing Aaron Jerome and Sampha slay at this summer's MoMA PS1 WarmUp did little to prepare us for the craziness of a proper headlining show. A short set sandwiched between acts in broad daylight was great but there's a different quality to the energy of headlining the night and we couldn't be more psyched about the possibilities.

After a brief introduction from Mr. Jerome, the guys went head first into "Heatwave" while we plunged into insanity from the sound. The sold-out crowd moved to tricked out versions of songs from SBTRKT's out-of-this-world self titled debut. Sampha's sweet yet melancholy honey-rich voice got the best of us during "Trails of the Past" and "Something Goes Right," grooving as we wept inside. The particularly awesome Drake mix of "Wildfire" and a sick extended mix of our favorite "Pharaohs" (which they didn't play the first time we saw them) were no cause for tears but a dream come true, it was absolutely mental. Also thrown in the loop was new-to-our-ears title track from the equally euphoric Step in Shadows EP. I kicked myself after listening to this live since the EP has been sitting in my computer for weeks, untouched. Currently it's all I listen to. Snail said it's better we didn't listen to the EP before or we'd whine about how they didn't play more of it. She had a point.

All night, Aaron jumped from drums to theremin to mixers and laptop like a mad scientist, frenetically fetching the right test tubes for this surreal dance experiment he and Sampha were conducting on the audience. The result was a hallucinogenic experience that left us all crazy for more. After a stunning encore with "Never, Never" and a purchasing of the vinyl, we left on a high. Refusing to believe it was over we were forced to ask "Where's the afterparty?" To our delight they're to return for Phase II of the experiment in March and we're counting the days! --Cheep

Photo from SBTRKT's Seattle date by David Lichterman

Metronomy / Class Actress / Caged Animals / True Womanhood @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 10.20.11

With CMJ madness in full swing, we came out of hiding from it for our first  Metronomy show at MOHW. On this night the British band was the epitome of light-hearted fun, adorableness and, dare I say it, quirk.

Below borderline creepy painted portraits, hometown-proud mastermind Joseph Mount and co. brought his addictive dance pop ditties to life to a sold-out crowd, the jovial energy of the studio recording amplified tenfold. Metronomy got the place pulsating, much like the bulbs on their tops, to the beat of our favorite danceables like "Heartbreaker," "Love Underlined," "The Bay" and "A Thing for Me." The main set closed with the slow simmer of "Some Written" though the night ended after a two-song encore: starting with the sweetness of "Everything Goes My Way" and ending with a massive power up via "Radio Ladio."

On the stage, we admired from afar Oscar Cash's multi-instrumental awesome (epic sax, ftw!) and drummer Anna Prior playing like a crazy, working a green sequin catsuit like we never could. As mad lovers of Metronomy's low-end, the man of the night was bassist (and impeccable dresser) Gbenga Adelekan. This dude has been grooving from the womb and the evidence is in his infallible bringing of the funk.

It would have been an absolute flawless first time if we weren't in the back with the least enthusiastic part of the audience. Luckily, Joseph announced their return is set for March and we can indulge in a dancey do-over next year. --Cheep

Photo via

Cut Copy/Foster the People/Midnight Magic @ Celebrate Brooklyn! - Prospect Park

By Jessica Amaya via BrooklynVegan

Concerts outdoors are a blessing and a curse. You're at the mercy of the elements: a pitch perfect sunny day is ideal but random rain can ruin weaves or have you regret you wore socks. If the band is still small enough,  you lose the intimacy that comes with a club show to a larger, less attentive crowd. In the masses, you can gain the camaraderie of some nice people who are there to have fun or be surrounded by a ton of unstable, fucked up assholes who chain smoke in your face and talk the entire show. We experienced a little bit of everything at all the outdoor shows we went to this summer and this one was no exception.

Midnight Magic had played and gone by the time we arrived to a people laden Prospect Park where were reminded why the idea, and only the idea, of living in NYC is awesome. Pregnant with burger and waffle fry food babies (we never learn) and tired from lack of sleep and overworking we were put out of commission again by the evening breeze and sat until Foster the People came on.

Somehow we managed to stand up and move, I danced knowing I might barf at any minute but didn't care. Snail, the older and wiser of us both, was more cautious and threw down only on favorites. White people started to dance like white people dance and we found a rare species of black girl that had no rhythm (!) who we wanted to tag for further study. The band was great but we felt great relief to had seen them for the first time at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in June as opposed to this show because it wasn't as fun and as we learned watching their SXSW performances on YouTube, we don't like seeing them play in the daylight.

Singer Mark Foster was more Thom Yorkian than usual on this day. In addition to being a little man with an amazing signature dance style, he did it all in a navy Fred Perry polo which we loved. Cubbie Andreas was still handsome slappin' da bass, mon, free banging in a signature chambray button-down with sleeves rolled up as high as he could get 'em. We're convinced keyboarding drummer guy Isom Innis takes uppers because his endless energy is inexplicable. He goes hard, all day, every day this band plays and that is unnatural so he's on coke or speed until proven otherwise... (not really!)

Foster talked about playing a song for Rivers Cuomo ages ago at a party and I was kinda bored because in our state we just wanted this to be over so we could sleep. That feeling melted away when they broke into Weezer's "Say it Ain't So" in appreciation for the band playing "Pumped Up Kicks" at a show days prior. A massive sing-a-long began and it felt nice to belt it into the sky with Snail. Everyone who felt excluded from the fun with this classic came back into the fold with final song, "Helena Beat."

The lull between bands was just another window for fatigue to seep through. Cut Copy had to come on ASAP to slap us out of this misery. Like a cruel joke, they opened with a series of dance-lite downers. Then "Corner of the Sky"  opened up a handful of body rattling gooduns "Blink And You'll Miss the Revolution," "Lights and Music," "Saturdays," "Pharaohs and Pyramids" and "Hearts on Fire." I inserted my funny dances for Snail into the most 90s sounding parts of a couple songs, as I promised her, and she did not pee her pants this time.

At some point the band was so psyched about playing they came to accordance that they were all moving to New York we were so awesome. Bands will say anything when emotions are running high, won't they? Haha!

During the epic ender "Sun God" we were thirsty and sick of people. We left the floor for some dranks and a seat under a tree for the encore. If we weren't such newbs to concerts at this park, we could've been here all along with a spectacular view of the stage, chilling out with the crazies dancing on the grass.  We did get to enjoy happy dance times in the wild to the beat "Need You Now"  and "Out there on the Ice" anyhow, all the more wise to the way to make it work for us when seeing a band play outdoors.

More pics of Midnight Magic, Foster the People and Cut Copy here

Death Cab for Cutie/Frightened Rabbit @ Williamsburg Waterfront 8.2.11

Photo by Dominick Mastrangelo via BrooklynVegan

It seems when we see bands at Williamsburg Waterfront together there's always an ever-present pleasantness. On this particular day we came to this riverside park on one of the most beautiful days of the season to see Death Cab for Cutie and, like with Belle and Sebastian before them, experience some of the most delightful sounds our ears have ever encountered in the fresh, open air.

We missed most of openers Frightened Rabbit's performance and sat on the grass trying to fight our food baby induced itis for their last two or three songs. This was a fail, the little we could hear and the river breeze did nothing but make us want to take a nicely soundtracked nap. Though we stood up to find a good place to stand and once we were settled the wind continued to seduce us. Our excitement gave that noise the hand, however, in the name of no defeat!

The guys sealed that deal with the opening bassline of "I Will Posess Your Heart." Easily one of the best --and longest -- song intros of all time initiated an instant widening of the eyes and perking of the ears. This is how it was all night: Mindblowing basslines and smiles as we watched the band rocking out and making the best of the giant stage that years of paid dues and record sales have awarded them.

Listening to DCFC's albums, you'd think their shows would be a stage full of shy shoegazers playing these sad songs to a group of sobbing sallies but on the contrary. Working through a batch of oldies and the best of Codes and Keys, Ben Gibbard (aka Benjamin Gibblets) exemplified the antithesis to his deceptively happy-sounding songs swinging his weightless hair about, twirling from mic to piano, swinging his guitar on and off, and back again -- stopping occasionally for bits of banter and to admire the skyline behind us, from sunset to crescent moon nestled in the night sky.

The 20-song set came to a close with a meaty four track encore, beginning with the amazing "Home is a Fire" and punctuated by Gibblets playing drums on "Transalanticism." The night was free of tearjerkers like "Stability" or "Someday You Will Be Loved," thankfully, but could've used "Information Travels Faster," a mutual fave. Snail got to it during their downer-heavy Sasquatch! set and it would've been nice for us to share that greatness but, alas, it was not meant to be.

The night overall, however, was so. Our ears cozy with post-concert fuzz and warmth in our hearts courtesy of Gibblets and company. A pleasant feeling that lingered for days, kept alive by marathon plays of their songs.

Take a look at the complete setlist and pics at BrooklynVegan 

Gang Gang Dance/New Moods @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 05.04.11

Photo above by Jason Lester

While everyone else was enjoying Foals in Manhattan, we ventured Brooklyn-ward to catch Gang Gang Dance's headlining show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The opening DJs did us wrong by spinning reggaeton and Chris Brown in a confusing mish-mashing of the good with the bad and ultimately losing us all together.

New Moods was a step up but would've been more enjoyable if their opening song didn't drag on forever and the rest of the set sounded like the one atmospheric Zola Jesus-y thing they did.

In no time we were tripping the light fantastic to Gang Gang Dance's psychedelic percussion party.

The set list, comprised of mostly tracks from their amazing fifth album, Eye Contact, was something to the effect of "Adult Goth," "House Jam," "Glass Jar," "MindKilla" -- give or take a song or two -- plus an encore. Highlight of the night was definitely the "MindKilla" jam sesh, starting out more stripped down than the album version but gave way to a rump-shakin' drum-heavy extended mix that left nothing more to be desired and culminated in a crush on drummer, Jesse Lee.

This band has been tearing up the fabric of electronic beats and cross-genre experimentation for years, playing their brand of dance all over NYC. This was the first time we were able to catch them doing their shit, legit, it was great to see them perform at their seasoned best.

Handsome Furs/The Cinnamon Band @ The Bell House 04.14.11

Our night with the Handsome Furs could be described simply as concert nirvana. Everything in its right place. Nothing gone wrong. A night of magnificent firsts.

Despite being fans of the Furs for a long time, we hadn't been able to catch them live. Maybe it was because we had to wait until the perfect things aligned to make it a truly memorable show. It was our first show ever at The Bell House in Brooklyn and everyone from the bouncer to the bartenders and merch people were the kindest. We even snatched some essentials from the Village Voice newsletter reps (chapstick, earplugs, a pen and a koozie!). In impromptu fashion we decided to knock back a few beers, to (maybe?) keep us under control in the presence of Dan and Alexei, the coolest couple since Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, according to Cheep.

The Cinnamon Band, who had to fill in for Grimes at the last minute, did a great job with their set and we swayed in the back until the Furs came out and we made our way forward. We quickly befriended with a girl in front of us and when Alexei popped out for a quick gear check we did something we're usually against. Yelling stuff. It was all so laid back, it seemed alright, they kept talking to us and laughing. She kept holding her heart, mad grateful.

Honestly, this band is pure fucking love. You are in their presence and feel just how happy they are to be doing this, and in turn all they get is love and good vibes from everyone around. Not since dancing with The Flaming Lips  or going insane at Buraka Som Sistema, were we surrounded by such cool peeps who were there for the music, booty shaking and managed to have a good time without losing their humanity. Everyone was in the moment, but it stemmed from them being in the moment. After an amazing set which included newbie "What About Us" and one badass encore, the show was over. Like all incredible things, way too fast.

We hung around grinning like fools, ready to talk with Alexei who smelled like a magical ball of sweat, perfume and cigarettes. We hugged repeatedly. She broke into her Spanish like it was no thing with us after recognizing our Latinoness. Mi padre es cubano, she said. She agreed that her and Dan are like -- if not better than -- Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. She kissed and hugged us again, real hugs and real kisses the kind you lean into all the way. Yes, gushing love is all this recap is getting and a big thank you to the universe for the best night out at a show in forever. Fuck. Yes.

Warpaint/Rewards/Family Band @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 12.02.10

Day two of December-appropriate swooning over dreaminess that makes us feel all kinds of warm inside commenced with Warpaint at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

After eating a blissful dinner and getting peanut butter bombed at our favorite veg joint on Bedford, Wild Ginger we walked with bellies full (maybe a little too full) to the venue.

Got in early enough to see Family Band open up the show. They had a sedating, Mazzy Star quality to them: slow and oft times twangy guitars, melancholic almost monotone vocals but no umph. There seemed to be lack of sexy from the rhythm section (guess we been spoiled by Jenny Lee and Stella's magic combo, haha). Overall, they're a good band just weren't the flavor we savored at the moment. Snail fell victim to nail-biting anxiety because their songs felt sooo drawn out and sad. All we wanted were our hearts tickled!

Brooklyn band Rewards came out and got that engine running with a more upbeat, new wavey indie pop sound with an adorable singer who cooed into his mic, danced about the stage a bit and loved everybody. People were dicks to them and they were good sports. Fuck da hataz. Their set was really short compared to Family Band but maybe it felt that way because we enjoyed them more.

Warpaint came on stage to an enthusiastic and diverse (a hefty amount of brown peeps representing, finally!) full house. Setlist as follows (this is roughly the order of things): Bees. Stars. Composure. Undertow. Majesty. Burgundy (extended w/jam sesh). Warpaint. Elephants. Encore: Beetles (extended w/ jam sesh).

They were mesmerizing to watch. We swooned over our crushes Jenny Lee and Emily. Snail and I expressed our song love uniquely. I went wild over favorites: "Warpaint," "Burgundy" and "Elephants." Snail took leave of dancing for a lot of the show for fear of ralphing (damn you, peanut butter bomb and your irresistible goodness!) but let loose during "Beetles" as a last hurrah. In a A-train confession she told me the waterworks went on auto during her bittersweet jammy, "Undertow."

These ladies have a great dynamic: On the stage they're artful musicians who take what they do seriously, the quality of their output is imperative but equally don't take themselves too seriously. They fool around on stage, dance funny, kiss each other. It's evident they're having the time of their lives playing great tunes with their best friends every night. Nothing superficial seems to take precedent with them, it's extremely refreshing. They act how they want, dress how they want, they just don't give a shit what anyone thinks and we love them so much because of this.

We left the venue feeling all fuzzy and full of love, floating home -- Snail with her first vinyl purchase, Warpaint's The Fool, in hand with the most prize-winning smile I've seen on her in days -- sighing and singing praises over how awesome our birthday month has already been two days in.