Photos by Philip Cosores
There are always those people at concerts who complain that nobody’s dancing. They’re usually drunk and always loud. Thursday night at The Echo was no different; a group of girls down in the front complained obnoxiously about the lack of movement – but the thing was, there were people dancing. The three acts on the bill all presented fairly different brands of music, but all infected the audience to get their limbs moving, even if they were only little bursts or slight sways, and those who are too self-conscious to let them do something so embarrassing in public just stood and appreciated the performances, which is just fine too, as far as we’re concerned.
Opening the night was Cassettes Won’t Listen, the name for Jason Drake’s bedroom electronic project, which was the artist on Thursday’s bill that created the closest to “traditional” dance music. He didn’t have a bass thump, but his swirling electronics and build-ups and drops in sound certainly had the potential to get the body moving. The thing is, in this kind of situation the crowd often looks to the performer to spark the movement, but for Drake’s solo project he had to remain glued to his computer and electronics pad (which looked sort of like a giant calculator) allowing him only to bob his head vigorously, and most of the crowd followed suit. Although Drake’s voice is far from strong in a live setting, cheers still went up when he performed stand out track “Perfect Day,” from recent album EVINSPACEY. The visuals that Drake had projecting onto himself and his background matched nicely with his music, but overall the set was not entirely interesting; moreover it raised intrigue as to what Cassettes Won’t Listen could be with a little more practice and presence, which will hopefully come over time.
Second band of the night, Gardens & Villa, just released their debut self-titled album, and they’re obviously still on a bit of a high. Singer Chris Lynch hit it off with the crowd immediately, mostly due to his bag of flutes, which he had slung over his back for the whole set. To me, this seemed like a bit of an affectation; Lynch didn’t even use any of the flutes until the fourth song of their set, and I’m sure there was at least one flute in the bag that didn’t get touched – there’s no reason why he couldn’t have kept them in a box somewhere onstage. These thoughts aside, Gardens & Villa’s set was joyous – and when Lynch did actually play one of his flutes it was infectious. Each band member bounced on the spot to their upbeat indie pop, which even bordered on Orange Juice-style tropical post-punk at the heavier moments, which were the highlights of the set. Gardens & Villa’s recent surge in popularity due to the release of their album has more or less turned their jaunt with Generationals into a co-headline tour, with the crowd seemingly just as much enamoured with the support band, and deservedly so. It won’t be long until Gardens & Villa are on their own headlining tour, and they have crafted a live show that will be an unbridled success.
Taking to the stage promptly at 11pm, Generationals had the practiced scruffy look down to a T; with the touring bassist and drummer in particular looking like they’d just stepped off the set of a video shoot, sporting sunglasses and headbands. Fortunately, this polish in their appearance was matched by their performance. Generationals looked loose and at ease on their instruments, but their playing was tight and crisp, and there was a lot more energy and vibrancy to their sound than their studio material. I think it’s fair to say that Generationals’ music is far from the most original, but boy does that matter little when it’s coming at you in a fast and furious attack. The guitar interplay, the helium-high vocals, and the crisp changes in pace were consistently enthralling throughout. Even better was when Generationals slowed it down a little for “Yours Forever” which started with a slow clap, but built to a grand climax – beyond the length of the studio version – that drowned out the crowd entirely. Out of the three acts on the bill, Generationals possessed the least qualities of dance music, but it made people move the most, even if that meant scuffling side to side awkwardly and quickly to try to keep up with the music. Generationals carried themselves with a confidence that spread out into the crowd and allowed them to let loose and just, move.
Generationals’ set tied the whole night together. The three acts’ music may originate from different sources, but the thing running through the night, and this is something that you don’t always get with experimental or innovative music, was pure elation in the performance.
