Review to come.
THE HEAVY - 03.08.16 - NATIONAL SAWDUST (1 hour, 10 minutes)
SET -
The Apology / Miss California / Not the One / Short Change Hero / Can't Play Dead / The Big Bad Wolf / Curse Me Good / Slave to Your Love / Same Ol' / What Makes a Good Man? / Since You Been Gone / Last Confession / Turn Up / What Happened to the Love? / How You Like Me Now?
Showing posts with label the heavy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the heavy. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Sunday, August 25, 2013
The Heavy Play Afropunk & Brooklyn Bowl in the Same Night
Rarely is my own throat sore from singing at a concert. Then again, I don't usually see the Heavy twice in one day. But after their brilliant Irving Plaza gig last August, I was damn sure gonna try.
I missed Theophilus London earlier this year at Prospect Park, so I arrived at Afropunk Festival in time to catch his set. I probably should've stayed out by the food trucks. Debuting several songs from his upcoming Vibezz album, Theophilus seemed obsessed with making everything sound perfect, and abandoned most numbers midway through. Judging from his perfectionist qualities, it came as a bit of a shock to hear him say, "Let's get back to the human error, you feel me?" while expressing his distaste for loops. I guess no one told Mr. London about the guy onstage cueing beats through a laptop. At one point, he chucked a bottle of water out into the crowd, which struck a woman directly in the chest. She left, pissed off, while London motioned his stagehands for a replacement water. While the rapper does make some interesting choices production-wise, he is not a skilled emcee by any means. His voice is even duller than his flow, and he falls victim to several rap clichés. Take "Do Girls," a song in which he touts his ability to turn a lesbian straight, the kind of misogynistic braggadocio that too readily pervades his genre. London failed to really engage the crowd, save for "Jump," only thanks to its sampling of Ginuwine's "Pony."
As Swaby had mentioned, they had to go to Brooklyn Bowl and play some more, so I hopped on the B62 to Williamsburg. They took the stage later than anticipated, and the two backup vocalists didn't make the trip, but I had no worries. "Come on, move forward, you fuckers," Swaby encouraged the slim crowd. The show had only been announced 24 hours prior, and a large number of music fans were still at Commodore Barry Park to find out who the special guest would be (If anyone knows who it was, please comment below.). Transitioning from the large festival masses to the less-than-packed Brooklyn Bowl, the Heavy decided there was only one way to go: even harder. The setlist started exactly the same, but Kelvin was even more animated, leaning over the stage's edge to sing directly into fans' faces. The stage must've been built with straw or sticks 'cause it couldn't hold Swaby, who exploded out into the crowd for "The Big Bad Wolf," holding his mic in the air to catch the howls. He climbed back onto the platform at the end and took a moment to regain his breath. A woman in the front requested "Stuck," but Swaby didn't want to jeopardize the momentum he'd created, so "What Makes a Good Man?" followed. While the backup singers were missed, the crowd was finally participating to Swaby's liking. "Brooklyn Bowl, who would've thunk it?" he marveled. "A Lesson Learned" was a nice, stompy deviation from the Afropunk setlist, and then Kelvin polled the audience: "You want slow or fast?" I may have been the only person voting for slow, as I was hoping for "Curse Me Good," but fast won out with "Just My Luck." "How You Like Me Now?" closed the show again, and if for some reason it hadn't been obvious earlier: We like the Heavy. We really, really like you.
Why Even Try / The Law / Need Somebody / Inject Your Soul / Jam* / Do Girls / Jump / Big Spender / Snow Angel / Last Name London > Groove Me / Flying Overseas / Smoke Dancehall* / Rio
I missed Theophilus London earlier this year at Prospect Park, so I arrived at Afropunk Festival in time to catch his set. I probably should've stayed out by the food trucks. Debuting several songs from his upcoming Vibezz album, Theophilus seemed obsessed with making everything sound perfect, and abandoned most numbers midway through. Judging from his perfectionist qualities, it came as a bit of a shock to hear him say, "Let's get back to the human error, you feel me?" while expressing his distaste for loops. I guess no one told Mr. London about the guy onstage cueing beats through a laptop. At one point, he chucked a bottle of water out into the crowd, which struck a woman directly in the chest. She left, pissed off, while London motioned his stagehands for a replacement water. While the rapper does make some interesting choices production-wise, he is not a skilled emcee by any means. His voice is even duller than his flow, and he falls victim to several rap clichés. Take "Do Girls," a song in which he touts his ability to turn a lesbian straight, the kind of misogynistic braggadocio that too readily pervades his genre. London failed to really engage the crowd, save for "Jump," only thanks to its sampling of Ginuwine's "Pony."
But that was okay because the next act was one that never fails to ignite an audience: the Heavy. They ran through three tunes before sunset, "Can't Play Dead," "What You Want Me to Do?," and "Sixteen," each enhanced by a three-piece horn section. "Looks like the sunshine's disappeared," remarked lead singer, Kelvin Swaby. "We're not happy about that. You want some more sunshine? Let's bring the sunshine in," he said, setting the stage for the reggae vibe of "Cause for Alarm." "Short Change Hero," started a string of audience participation, first for "the devils," a term for longtime Heavy fans, and then the entire crowd howling on "The Big Bad Wolf." You could feel the tremendous energy in the park, but it wasn't enough for Kelvin. "Is it inappropriate for me to say, 'Would you guys like to join us for the rest of the set?'" he asked before instructing the call-and-response of "What Makes a Good Man?" The two female backup singers outshined the crowd on that one, but we gave it our all. "Same Ol'" utilized the audience yet again, and Kelvin invited a young girl onstage to dance. "At 10:00 tonight, we've got to go over to the Brooklyn Bowl and play some more," Kelvin announced. Over "Brukpocket's," he questioned each side of spectators, "Do you like the Heavy?" Satisfied after a few rounds of escalating cheers, Swaby added, "See how much you like us now," and they charged into "How You Like Me Now?" Everyone leapt into the air, the Afropunk crowd a raging sea of multicolored bodies.
As Swaby had mentioned, they had to go to Brooklyn Bowl and play some more, so I hopped on the B62 to Williamsburg. They took the stage later than anticipated, and the two backup vocalists didn't make the trip, but I had no worries. "Come on, move forward, you fuckers," Swaby encouraged the slim crowd. The show had only been announced 24 hours prior, and a large number of music fans were still at Commodore Barry Park to find out who the special guest would be (If anyone knows who it was, please comment below.). Transitioning from the large festival masses to the less-than-packed Brooklyn Bowl, the Heavy decided there was only one way to go: even harder. The setlist started exactly the same, but Kelvin was even more animated, leaning over the stage's edge to sing directly into fans' faces. The stage must've been built with straw or sticks 'cause it couldn't hold Swaby, who exploded out into the crowd for "The Big Bad Wolf," holding his mic in the air to catch the howls. He climbed back onto the platform at the end and took a moment to regain his breath. A woman in the front requested "Stuck," but Swaby didn't want to jeopardize the momentum he'd created, so "What Makes a Good Man?" followed. While the backup singers were missed, the crowd was finally participating to Swaby's liking. "Brooklyn Bowl, who would've thunk it?" he marveled. "A Lesson Learned" was a nice, stompy deviation from the Afropunk setlist, and then Kelvin polled the audience: "You want slow or fast?" I may have been the only person voting for slow, as I was hoping for "Curse Me Good," but fast won out with "Just My Luck." "How You Like Me Now?" closed the show again, and if for some reason it hadn't been obvious earlier: We like the Heavy. We really, really like you.
THEOPHILUS LONDON - 08.24.13 - COMMODORE BARRY PARK, AFROPUNK FESTIVAL (45 minutes)
SET -
THE HEAVY - 08.24.13 - COMMODORE BARRY PARK, AFROPUNK FESTIVAL (43 minutes)
SET -
Can't Play Dead / What You Want Me to Do? / Sixteen / Cause for Alarm / Short Change Hero / The Big Bad Wolf / What Makes a Good Man? / Same Ol' / Brukpocket's Interlude / How You Like Me Now?
THE HEAVY - 08.24.13 - BROOKLYN BOWL (50 minutes)
SET -
Can't Play Dead / What You Want Me to Do? / Sixteen / Cause for Alarm / Short Change Hero / The Big Bad Wolf / Stuck (tease) / What Makes a Good Man? / Same Ol' / A Lesson Learned / Just My Luck / How You Like Me Now?
Can't Play Dead / What You Want Me to Do? / Sixteen / Cause for Alarm / Short Change Hero / The Big Bad Wolf / Stuck (tease) / What Makes a Good Man? / Same Ol' / A Lesson Learned / Just My Luck / How You Like Me Now?
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Top 20 Live Songs of 2012
20. "Banana Boat (Day-O)" - Good Old War, 04.25, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
"Do you wanna hear Tim do his best Harry Belafonte?" Keith asked the crowd. Tim sang the opening to "Day-O" perfectly, but no one expected the band to join in and play the whole song. Nice birthday present.
19. "Como Ves" - Ozomatli & the New York Pops, 06.12, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
Classic Ozo taken to new heights with the orchestra.
18. "Ashamed" - Deer Tick, 12.19, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
17. "Spirit Bird" - Xavier Rudd, 12.03, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Offering the last part to the audience to sing, the fans succeeded with remarkable restraint and pitch control.
16. "Golden Train" - Penguin Prison, 06.24, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Hopping off the stage to perform while walking through the crowd during the first song surprised the shit out of me.
15. "Stars" - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, 06.14, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
You could see the pain on her face that she felt when she wrote this beautiful ballad.
14. "One Foot Before the Other" - Frank Turner, 09.30, Webster Hall, New York, NY
13. "Excuse Me Mr." - Ben Harper, 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Hard to pick a favorite from the night, but the off-mic singing on this sounded incredible in the hallowed hall.
12. "Digest" - Ben Taylor, 05.17, City Winery, New York, NY
John Forté asked if he could sing it with Ben, and modified the lyrics to "Nothing's been the same since I've been gone," to reference his time in prison.
11. "Rat Race" - Antibalas, 08.18, Williamsburg Park, Brooklyn, NY
Likely the best Marley cover I've seen.
10. "Be Mine" - Alabama Shakes, 10.06, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Virgin Mobile Freefest), Columbia, MD
9. "We Are Young" - Fun, 06.22, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Crowd sang along triumphantly to the single of the year. Great acoustics.
8. "(718)" - 2 Skinnee J's, 08.24, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
In (718). Haven't jumped in the air at a concert in God knows how long.
7. "What Makes a Good Man?" - The Heavy, 08.30, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Backup singers sent this one to near heavenly proportions.
6. "Root Down" - Animal Liberation Orchestra, 05.09, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Just days after Adam Yauch's passing, ALO busted out this funky gem, which included "Maria" in its center.
5. "No One's Gonna Love You" - Band of Horses, 09.18, House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY
One of my favorite songs ever in such an intimate venue. Literally got chills.
4. "Walk Like a Giant" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, 09.29, Central Park Great Lawn (Global Festival), New York, NY
Crashing footsteps of a giant at the end were so fucking ballsy.
3. "Shake Up the Place" - 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, 04.20, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Sublime harmonies. The smile on Kevin Kinsella's face has been burned into my mind forever.
2. "Try" - Everyone Orchestra, 10.27, Sullivan Hall, New York, NY
Grand Ole Opry-style chorus combined with Zach Gill's hilarious musings on his attic. Should always be performed this way.
1. "Down with Disease" - Phish, 12.30, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Sweetest jam of the whole NYE run. Spaced through different movements until it came to a driving funk conclusion. I'll be listening to this for years.
"Do you wanna hear Tim do his best Harry Belafonte?" Keith asked the crowd. Tim sang the opening to "Day-O" perfectly, but no one expected the band to join in and play the whole song. Nice birthday present.
19. "Como Ves" - Ozomatli & the New York Pops, 06.12, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
Classic Ozo taken to new heights with the orchestra.
18. "Ashamed" - Deer Tick, 12.19, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Started off slow and built into a frenzy of horn solos and crowd chants.
17. "Spirit Bird" - Xavier Rudd, 12.03, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Offering the last part to the audience to sing, the fans succeeded with remarkable restraint and pitch control.
16. "Golden Train" - Penguin Prison, 06.24, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Hopping off the stage to perform while walking through the crowd during the first song surprised the shit out of me.
15. "Stars" - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, 06.14, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
You could see the pain on her face that she felt when she wrote this beautiful ballad.
14. "One Foot Before the Other" - Frank Turner, 09.30, Webster Hall, New York, NY
Frank Turner goes prog. Lights and bass were amazing.
13. "Excuse Me Mr." - Ben Harper, 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Hard to pick a favorite from the night, but the off-mic singing on this sounded incredible in the hallowed hall.
12. "Digest" - Ben Taylor, 05.17, City Winery, New York, NY
John Forté asked if he could sing it with Ben, and modified the lyrics to "Nothing's been the same since I've been gone," to reference his time in prison.
11. "Rat Race" - Antibalas, 08.18, Williamsburg Park, Brooklyn, NY
Likely the best Marley cover I've seen.
10. "Be Mine" - Alabama Shakes, 10.06, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Virgin Mobile Freefest), Columbia, MD
Brittany Howard just aced it on this one.
Crowd sang along triumphantly to the single of the year. Great acoustics.
8. "(718)" - 2 Skinnee J's, 08.24, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
In (718). Haven't jumped in the air at a concert in God knows how long.
7. "What Makes a Good Man?" - The Heavy, 08.30, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Backup singers sent this one to near heavenly proportions.
6. "Root Down" - Animal Liberation Orchestra, 05.09, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
Just days after Adam Yauch's passing, ALO busted out this funky gem, which included "Maria" in its center.
5. "No One's Gonna Love You" - Band of Horses, 09.18, House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY
One of my favorite songs ever in such an intimate venue. Literally got chills.
4. "Walk Like a Giant" - Neil Young & Crazy Horse, 09.29, Central Park Great Lawn (Global Festival), New York, NY
Crashing footsteps of a giant at the end were so fucking ballsy.
3. "Shake Up the Place" - 10 Ft. Ganja Plant, 04.20, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
Sublime harmonies. The smile on Kevin Kinsella's face has been burned into my mind forever.
2. "Try" - Everyone Orchestra, 10.27, Sullivan Hall, New York, NY
Grand Ole Opry-style chorus combined with Zach Gill's hilarious musings on his attic. Should always be performed this way.
1. "Down with Disease" - Phish, 12.30, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Sweetest jam of the whole NYE run. Spaced through different movements until it came to a driving funk conclusion. I'll be listening to this for years.
Top 15 Concerts of 2012
These were the top 15 concerts I attended in 2012. Feel free to make your own list in the comments.
15. Diamond Rugs - 06.24, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
"Totally Lonely" was exponentially better live than recorded, with all the members joining producer Justin Collins on the final refrain. For the set-closing "Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant," the group thinned its ranks to a duo of McCauley and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin. The fact that it was merely days after the summer solstice only amplified the beautiful sadness of the song." (Read full review)
12. Mayer Hawthorne - 04.16, Webster Hall, New York, NY
"This isn't a concert; it's a show," Hawthorne announced at the onset. Backed by his band, the County, MH dazzled fans with a set of soulful originals from both of his albums, and even a few Hall & Oates covers. For final song "Henny & Gingerale," Hawthorne played bartender and made drinks for those in the front row as he sang.
8. Ben Harper - 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
"That was only the start of what would be the 54-minute encore, where Harper reached back into his catalog to revive old favorites like "Not Fire Not Ice," "Power of the Gospel," and "Welcome to the Cruel World." The show could have bookended with the instrumental "Exhale," but surprisingly, Ben brought his chair downstage, even in front of the suspended stage mic, to play "Suzie Blue" on ukulele." (Read full review)
5. Ben Taylor - 05.17, City Winery, New York, NYBen and band unveiled several new songs from his upcoming album Listening in the sonically sweet space. Audience member John Forté sat in for a few tunes, including the fan-suggested encore "Digest."
4. Animal Liberation Orchestra - 07.23, Rocks Off Boat Cruise, New York, NY
"You guys are yelling out some really old ones," noted Dan. "Should we do 'Sexo y Drogas?'" And they did. For the first time in over a year. It was like watching 2004-era ALO all over again. Before launching into the singalong "Walls of Jericho," I heard Lebo tuning a little ghost of "They Love Each Other." My ears didn't deceive me, the Garcia ditty exhuming itself from the remains of "Walls." (Read full review)
15. Diamond Rugs - 06.24, Rumsey Playfield, New York, NY
"Totally Lonely" was exponentially better live than recorded, with all the members joining producer Justin Collins on the final refrain. For the set-closing "Christmas in a Chinese Restaurant," the group thinned its ranks to a duo of McCauley and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin. The fact that it was merely days after the summer solstice only amplified the beautiful sadness of the song." (Read full review)
14. Deer Tick - 12.19, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
"With a loud "Kick it!" they crunched into "Fight for Your Right." Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit now had the oft-traded Mustang, but his most memorable contribution to the song was throwing pitcher after pitcher of beer onto the crowd. This insane final display was the ultimate example of why we go to Deer Tick shows: Because anything can happen because it's a goddam party." (Read full review)
13. Alabama Shakes - 10.06, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Virgin Mobile Freefest), Columbia, MD
"While bassist Zac Cockrell still only moved slightly more than a well-timed bobblehead, Brittany Howard was absolutely magnetic. She was wearing a blue dress with red dots and sporting a straightened hairdo, but you couldn't take your eyes off her face. If you were a deaf person, you could've learned all the vowel sounds just by the way her mouth moved, soulful howls bursting out of the gaping hole." (Read full review)
12. Mayer Hawthorne - 04.16, Webster Hall, New York, NY
"This isn't a concert; it's a show," Hawthorne announced at the onset. Backed by his band, the County, MH dazzled fans with a set of soulful originals from both of his albums, and even a few Hall & Oates covers. For final song "Henny & Gingerale," Hawthorne played bartender and made drinks for those in the front row as he sang.
11. Matt Embree - 09.11, The Acheron, Brooklyn, NY
"The banter became downright ridiculous, Embree claiming he knew half the people in the room, even their "drunken-ass aliases, like when you get so drunk you're another person." While he may have seemed like another person between songs, his drunkenness had no effect on his musicianship. His guitar solo in "Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers" was absolutely ferocious, and he proved his vocal prowess on a soulful cover of Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand." (Read full review)
10. 10 Ft. Ganja Plant - 04.20, The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
This was the third ever live performance for the secretive reggae band. The sweaty night of dub in the basement of the club was a night to remember... though due to obvious reasons, somewhat forgotten.
9. Phish - 12.30, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
"Disarmed by the first set, we were all ready for Phish to drop the real jams on us. Kicking things off with "Down with Disease," the boys made it through the main part, and then unearthed a subterranean monster toward its end. Knowing glances around the room as we lapped up the amazingly funked-out puzzle where all the pieces fit properly." (Read full review)
8. Ben Harper - 10.10, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
"That was only the start of what would be the 54-minute encore, where Harper reached back into his catalog to revive old favorites like "Not Fire Not Ice," "Power of the Gospel," and "Welcome to the Cruel World." The show could have bookended with the instrumental "Exhale," but surprisingly, Ben brought his chair downstage, even in front of the suspended stage mic, to play "Suzie Blue" on ukulele." (Read full review)
7. Kishi Bashi - 05.16, Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY
It's hard to upstage the Barr Brothers, but with a violin, a microphone, and some looping pedals, he did it. Everyone stared silently in awe as he magically constructed his songs piece by piece. Best of the three times I saw him.
6. The Heavy - 08.30, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
A live staple for years, "The Big Bad Wolf" followed it like Little Red Riding Hood, but this wasn't the sneaky trickster from the children's tale. This was a fucking monster. With the crowd howling and screaming, "What you say!" it was incredible to realize that I was in a room full of adults singing along, "I'm gonna huff and puff, and blow your house down!" (Read full review)
5. Ben Taylor - 05.17, City Winery, New York, NYBen and band unveiled several new songs from his upcoming album Listening in the sonically sweet space. Audience member John Forté sat in for a few tunes, including the fan-suggested encore "Digest."
4. Animal Liberation Orchestra - 07.23, Rocks Off Boat Cruise, New York, NY
"You guys are yelling out some really old ones," noted Dan. "Should we do 'Sexo y Drogas?'" And they did. For the first time in over a year. It was like watching 2004-era ALO all over again. Before launching into the singalong "Walls of Jericho," I heard Lebo tuning a little ghost of "They Love Each Other." My ears didn't deceive me, the Garcia ditty exhuming itself from the remains of "Walls." (Read full review)
3. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - 06.14, Irving Plaza, New York, NY
"At 9:37, the band took the stage to the tribal drums of the title track off their newest album, The Lion the Beast the Beat. Having released the LP on Tuesday, the set was heaped with fresh tunes, and Grace wasn't ashamed of it. "If you don't know it, just fucking pretend you do." (Read full review)
2. Band of Horses - 09.18, House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY
"What was evident was that these boys love playing music. Ben sang with such gusto, you could witness the veins bulging in his tattooed neck. Every member had a wide grin for the show's duration; even the typically stoic Ramsey sneaking out a smirk from somewhere in the center of his beard." (Read full review)
1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 09.29, Central Park Great Lawn (Global Festival), New York, NY
"Neil Young and Crazy Horse played a blistering mix of new songs from the upcoming Psychedelic Pill, and classics like the 15-minute opener "Love & Only Love." Young, Poncho, and Billy Talbot huddled together in the center of the stage, churning out waves of distortion into the crisp night air." (Read full review)
Friday, August 31, 2012
The Heavy Give Irving Plaza a Glorious Show
Music is great to listen to on vinyl or the radio or your iPod, but it's meant to be heard live. Going to concerts has been a passion of mine since my very first one, almost twenty years ago. I love live music, and I want more people to hear what I'm hearing out there, which is why this blog has become so focused on concert reviews recently. If you solely listen to the recorded output of an artist, you're experiencing only one facet of the band. And as evidenced from last night's show by the Heavy at Irving Plaza, the energy of a live performance can not only improve the songs, it can create euphoria.
Fresh off a spot at Afropunk Festival, the Skins opened, and I had a chance to check out their Bandcamp page before the show. Made up of three siblings and their two friends, the Skins are decidedly influenced by '70s hard rockers Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, both of which they covered at Irving, including the set-closer "How Many More Times." The androgynous, multiethnic teens that make up the band could have been extras on Skins, and I didn't realize how young they were until they took the stage. So young that they attempted to lead a chant of "Hide your wife, hide your kids" from "Bed Intruder Song"... without irony. "Do you guys like Kanye West? 'Cause we do!" shouted lead singer Bayli Mckelthan before they launched into a cover of "Mercy." While I can't stand Kanye, it was at least interesting to discover this other side of the band. The in-between-song banter needs improvement ("I would like do something with all of you guys," said Bayli on the attractiveness of the audience.), but after doing a little more research, I found out that the drummer is only 14, so they are literally children. In a few more years, they could be a force to reckon with if they don't all go to different colleges.
On record, British rockers the Heavy are a strange brew of the Black Keys, marching band, old soul, and horror movie soundtrack, with most of their lyrics focusing on the macabre. But when performing live, the group unleashes their inner animal (likely a wolf), infusing their style with so much moxie, all the songs can be heard in a different light. They were actually the first band David Letterman ever asked to perform an encore on his show.
The quartet took the stage with its crew swollen to incorporate a keyboardist, four backup singers (two male, two female) from Georgia, and introduced as the Dirty Three, a three-piece horn section including Dap-Kings trumpeter Dave Guy. The audio from the trailer of '60s monster film The She Beast crackled out of the PA, signaling "Can't Play Dead," the first of many tracks to be played off their new album, The Glorious Dead. Impish lead singer Kelvin Swaby's suit jacket stayed on for exactly one song before he stripped down to a wifebeater. After charging through some older tunes like the reggae-tinged "Cause for Alarm" and the spaghetti western-inspired "Short Change Hero," Swaby informed the crowd he wanted to play some more songs from The Glorious Dead. "Curse Me Good," the LP's most melodic number, started the sequence. A live staple for years, "The Big Bad Wolf" followed it like Little Red Riding Hood, but this wasn't the sneaky trickster from the children's tale. This was a fucking monster. With the crowd howling and screaming, "What you say!" it was incredible to realize that I was in a room full of adults singing along, "I'm gonna huff and puff, and blow your house down!" It was going to be hard to top it, so Swaby walked us through a dry run of the lyrics to the new single, "What Makes a Good Man?" And then they completely killed it! The shriek of the horns, the propulsive drums, and the combined shouts of the crowd and backup singers took this one to a whole new plain. It was during this song that I realized this might've been the loudest concert I've been to in years.
Swaby instructed the crowd for "Same Ol'" next, but may have taken the whole singalong act too far when he wanted us to sing back the words of a song that didn't make it onto the record, "A Lesson Learned." His banter was that of a cocky person who feigns insecurity: "I'm feeling like New York City loves the Heavy, right?" While this got old fairly quickly, no one seemed to mind. Looking around me during the show, everyone was grinning the whole time.
For the encore, the original quartet performed "Girl," a mostly spoken word piece in which Kelvin proposed, "I think all the girls at the Irving Plaza should come back to our hotel room for some tea." After a useless "Happy Birthday" dedicated to the keyboardist, the band started vamping while Swaby parted the crowd down the middle like Moses, only to do a "Which side of the room is louder?" shtick like at a Universal Studios stunt show. This didn't accomplish much except to reorganize the crowd before the final song of the night, "How You Like Me Now?" Used in several commercials and TV shows, it's the song everyone knows, and the crowd went buckwild. At the song's end, Swaby expressed his gratitude and said, "You made me bust out my ass and everything," revealing that the seam on the back of his trousers had split wide open.
They missed out on an opportunity by not selling any merch. I would've bought every album on vinyl. But it's not about the records; it's about the live show. I stepped out onto Irving Place with my ears ringing and my vocal cords stretched, recalling the concerts I attended when I was the age of the Skins. So get out there and see a show. You owe it to yourself to smile for over an hour straight.
Fresh off a spot at Afropunk Festival, the Skins opened, and I had a chance to check out their Bandcamp page before the show. Made up of three siblings and their two friends, the Skins are decidedly influenced by '70s hard rockers Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, both of which they covered at Irving, including the set-closer "How Many More Times." The androgynous, multiethnic teens that make up the band could have been extras on Skins, and I didn't realize how young they were until they took the stage. So young that they attempted to lead a chant of "Hide your wife, hide your kids" from "Bed Intruder Song"... without irony. "Do you guys like Kanye West? 'Cause we do!" shouted lead singer Bayli Mckelthan before they launched into a cover of "Mercy." While I can't stand Kanye, it was at least interesting to discover this other side of the band. The in-between-song banter needs improvement ("I would like do something with all of you guys," said Bayli on the attractiveness of the audience.), but after doing a little more research, I found out that the drummer is only 14, so they are literally children. In a few more years, they could be a force to reckon with if they don't all go to different colleges.
On record, British rockers the Heavy are a strange brew of the Black Keys, marching band, old soul, and horror movie soundtrack, with most of their lyrics focusing on the macabre. But when performing live, the group unleashes their inner animal (likely a wolf), infusing their style with so much moxie, all the songs can be heard in a different light. They were actually the first band David Letterman ever asked to perform an encore on his show.
Swaby instructed the crowd for "Same Ol'" next, but may have taken the whole singalong act too far when he wanted us to sing back the words of a song that didn't make it onto the record, "A Lesson Learned." His banter was that of a cocky person who feigns insecurity: "I'm feeling like New York City loves the Heavy, right?" While this got old fairly quickly, no one seemed to mind. Looking around me during the show, everyone was grinning the whole time.
For the encore, the original quartet performed "Girl," a mostly spoken word piece in which Kelvin proposed, "I think all the girls at the Irving Plaza should come back to our hotel room for some tea." After a useless "Happy Birthday" dedicated to the keyboardist, the band started vamping while Swaby parted the crowd down the middle like Moses, only to do a "Which side of the room is louder?" shtick like at a Universal Studios stunt show. This didn't accomplish much except to reorganize the crowd before the final song of the night, "How You Like Me Now?" Used in several commercials and TV shows, it's the song everyone knows, and the crowd went buckwild. At the song's end, Swaby expressed his gratitude and said, "You made me bust out my ass and everything," revealing that the seam on the back of his trousers had split wide open.
They missed out on an opportunity by not selling any merch. I would've bought every album on vinyl. But it's not about the records; it's about the live show. I stepped out onto Irving Place with my ears ringing and my vocal cords stretched, recalling the concerts I attended when I was the age of the Skins. So get out there and see a show. You owe it to yourself to smile for over an hour straight.
THE HEAVY – 08.30.12 – IRVING
PLAZA (1 hour, 17 minutes)
SET –
Can’t Play Dead / What You
Want Me to Do? / Sixteen / Cause for Alarm / Short Change Hero / Curse Me Good
/ The Big Bad Wolf / What Makes a Good Man? / Same Ol’ / A Lesson Learned / Don’t Say Nothing / Blood Dirt Love Stop / Just
My Luck
ENCORE –
Girl > All Day & All
of the Night (tease) > Hello, I Love You (tease) / Happy Birthday / Brukpocket's Interlude / How You Like Me Now?
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