A few weeks back when we went to see The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Tracers and i noticed this show, which features Cinemechanica (Which we have been following since 2005, but have not seen in a while) and Lazer/Wulf, the oddly named band that opened the great Kylesa show last summer. And it was on a Friday, so it seemed like a good idea. Heck, it gets us out of our respective homes, which is rare enough these days.
It was a warm early spring day in what promises to be a hot year. The temperature peaked around 80 F on each of the first three days of April, which is a little early for things to get so warm, even in Atlanta. Plus, this was mid pollen season, where everything is covered by a thin layer of yellow pollen dust.
We headed to The EARL for dinner, and they had the big window up front open. The air was pleasant, if a little pollen-y, and the restaurant wasn't that full. We enjoyed dinner and drinks and watching the crowd.
Lazer/Wulf sat near us, eating burgers and chugging tall glasses of sweet tea. I noticed that the three of them seem rather buff. They look like people who enjoy lifting weights. Huh.
We ate leisurely, and made it back to the concert room at The EARL a little before 9:30. Fortunately, the first band was just about to go on. This was local act Hello Cobra, who were previously unfamiliar to us. Which is a shame, because they were really good.
They had the standard 4-piece lineup, but played instrumentally. There was more than a hint of The Purkinje Shift in their guitarwork, which was complicated and all over the place. The rhythm section kept a nice noisy beat.
They were fun.
Then Cinemechanica took the stage. This band has been through some lineup changes -- weren't they a 5-piece for a while or am i getting them confused with someone else? And i think they also went through a phase where they were playing Screamo, a genre which, to be honest, gets old after about 5 minutes.
But tonight they were heavy, post-punk, mathematically complex, and really good. The vocalist was a little shout-y, but not that piercing screech that i remember from the last time i saw them. Admittedly, that was years ago.
The band is much improved. In fact, i would say that they have circled back around and once again making music that is right up my alley.
And finally Lazer/Wulf took the stage. They are a three-piece, with a shaggy haired drummer set up in the middle of the stage, and short-haired, weight-lifting guitar and bass on either side.
I mean, look at his biceps! Dude can lift.
I really like what these guys are doing, which takes the basic template that Rodan was working in and hardens it, speeds it up, makes it just a little harsher.
This is music that throbs with angst, the band just tearing through their instrumental numbers. For the second time, i really enjoyed Lazer/Wolf in concert.
Plus, the whole thing was over by around midnight, meaning i was home by 12:30, which is not bad at all. Three good bands and a reasonable hour? I am not complaining.
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