Ex Cops Play a "Free" Show at Brooklyn Night Bazaar

If you're like me, you probably hadn't heard of Ex Cops before ten days ago.  That's when band member Brian Harding used Facebook to post an open letter to McDonald's as to why the band wouldn't be playing the multi-billion-dollar corporation's SXSW showcase for free.  The story quickly became national news, and ironically, the band now has more buzz than if they had played the showcase for exposure or if McDonald's had agreed to shell out some cash.  I'd wager it's probably the best thing that's happened to the Brooklyn indie band, and they probably secretly thank McDonald's every time they pass the one on Grand St. between Graham and Humboldt.

Ex Cops make hazy indie pop that's pleasant enough, but the fact is, it's not terribly unique.  While they definitely sound better on record than they did last night, over the less-than-optimal soundsystem at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar, I wouldn't have minded continuing to play Area 51 and listening to them in the background.  The only thing I would've missed is the beauty of lead singer Amalie Bruun, a heroin chic Danish model whose vocals recall Lana Del Rey.  Harding's vocals were incredibly thin, forcing me to contrast Ex Cops to a few male/female indie duos (The Submarines, Club 8) that have already nailed this dynamic.  Most of the songs sounded similar too, notable exceptions being the '60s California flavor of "Tragically Alright" and the shoegaze-y final number, "Rooms."

While I still think performers should be paid for their work (I've been performing standup comedy for over eight years, and have been paid seven times, so you know I'm empathetic.), I sort of wish McDonald's had picked a more original band for their showcase.  Then maybe a more-deserving band could be relishing the national attention that Ex Cops are currently receiving.  But that's behind us now.  Mickey D's has agreed to pay its SXSW performers, which is undoubtedly a good thing.  I only hope that Ex Cops will continue to grow as songwriters, so their legacy isn't just "band who wrote an angry letter to McDonald's."

EX COPS - 03.13.15 - BROOKLYN NIGHT BAZAAR (38 minutes)

SET -

Spring Break (Birthday Song) / Separator / White Noise / Daggers / Black Soap / Burnt Out Love / Tragically Alright / Wanna Be / Rooms

The World/Inferno Friendship Society Brooklyn Night Bazaar Setlist

Review to come.

THE WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY - 03.07.15 - BROOKLYN NIGHT BAZAAR (1 hour, 20 minutes)

SET -

Tattoos Fade > If I Were a Rich Man (tease) > Tattoos Fade / Lust for Timing / Annie the Imaginary Lawyer / Aquaman (Interlude) / American Mercurial / Second Chance Saloon / The Velocity of Love / I Can't Remember the Words (Interlude) / Dolce Far Niente / The Apple Was Eve > Me v. the Angry Mob / The Elegant Solution / The Politics of Passing Out / The Faster You Go, the Better You Think / Me & the Mad Monkettes / Don't Kiss Me, I'm Running Out of Lipstick / Thumb Cinema / Ladies & Gentlemen of the Road / When I'm Gone (Interlude) > This Packed Funeral

ENCORE -

Zen & the Art of Breaking Everything in This Room

Gordon Voidwell Gets Comfortably Funky at Brooklyn Night Bazaar

"We're gonna start this soon.  There's already a couple of attractive ladies in the front.  We've got at least one cool-lookin' dude," announced Gordon Voidwell.  Patrons meandered slowly away from the taco stand and arrowhead necklace displays towards the stage in the corner of the Brooklyn Night Bazaar.  "I'm just waiting to feel slightly more comfortable," he admitted.  Once the crowd had thickened to his liking, Gordon and his band drifted into the dreamy "Amnesia" from his one-month-young Bad Études mixtape.  It seemed like a strange introduction, but I understood completely when they barreled into the forceful funk of "Homemade VHS" and sent shockwaves through the crowd.  After the modern R&B flavor of "First Time," Gordon stripped down to a sleeveless Gucci shirt and bathing suit for the '80s pop of "Bad Way."  A ring of guys to the right started a dance-off during "1 Trap Mind," which concluded with Voidwell looping and layering his vocals into a fizzling drone.  They followed with the spaced-out interlude "Fixed," with Gordon joking, "We all just peaked on LSD."  Voidwell often gets compared to Prince, and songs like "GF Jeans" are why.  From the slinky bass of the verses to the refrain's pleading sensuality of "Daaamn, if I was your man," it could've been written by the Purple One himself.  But to Voidwell's credit, as anyone who saw that episode of The New Girl can attest, even Prince isn't exactly turning out Prince-calibre material right now.  Despite yells of "White Friends" from the back of the audience, Gordon ended the show there, leaving everyone wanting more (and "GF Jeans" stuck in my head for the rest of the night).  Fortunately, if you want to fill your Voidwell void, he'll be DJing at Brooklyn Bowl tomorrow night (RSVP here).

GORDON VOIDWELL - 03.07.14 - BROOKLYN NIGHT BAZAAR (35 minutes)

SET -

Amnesia > Homemade VHS / First Time > Bad Wave > Pure (Hollywood Colt) / 1 Trap Mind / Fixed / GF Jeans

Sasha Carlson Debuts Two New Splashh Tunes at Brooklyn Night Bazaar

Last year saw the inaugural run of the Brooklyn Night Bazaar, a holiday pop-up festival in Williamsburg featuring food, music, and art.  Its latest incarnation, located at 165 Banker St, is no longer a seasonal event, but a permanent attraction.  Regrettably, it has become much more sterilized and streamlined, primarily focused on artisanal foods from the usual suspects like Arancini Brothers, Ample Hills, and Fatty Cakes, than arts & crafts.  One improvement from last year, however, is a dedicated concert area that has already seen a number of local and international acts.

One such act was the London-based dream pop band, Splashh, who performed this past Friday and Saturday.  I went Friday night, and quickly realized that this wasn't the normal lineup I'd witnessed at Bowery Ballroom earlier this year.  With the rest of his bandmates still in the UK, lead singer/guitarist Sasha Carlson brought along two of his mates from Australia to assist on keys, bass, and programming.  As they dipped into "Lemonade" with help from a drum machine, it was apparent that this wasn't going to be the wall of guitars approach that has come to define Splashh's live show.  A crowd gathered by the picnic tables to watch, not yet ready to commit.  Complemented befittingly by a backdrop of animated spirals, "Headspins" followed, and Sasha's screams of "Yeah yeah yeah" sliced compellingly through the haze.  The tune assured the shy spectators that this was an act worth moving closer for.  "This song's a brand new one," echoed Carlson, the reverb effect still heavy on his microphone.  Built around an electronic loop, "646" culminated in repeated strains of Carlson crying the three digits of the title.  Screechy crackling from the programming console marred the beginning of "All I Wanna Do," but the issue was resolved by the song's middle.  "Sorry about that hectic feedback and shit," Sasha apologized.  They wrapped up the brief set with "Sandy's Dream," another dreamy noise-drenched track to add to the Splashh canon.

I spoke with Sasha before his Saturday Bazaar performance, where he shared the exciting news that the band's remaining members plan to join him next year in NYC to gig regularly and record their second record. The interview will be on The Next Round, so stay tuned.

SPLASHH - 12.06.13 - BROOKLYN NIGHT BAZAAR (27 minutes)

SET -

Lemonade / Headspins / 646 / All I Wanna Do / Sandy's Dream