Photos by Philip Cosores
Relief is not something I often feel at a show, but it is one of the many things I felt at White Rabbits’ concert last night. Relief because, prior to the support act going on, the venue was looking pretty empty, and I was worried that it might remain that way. I was worried because White Rabbits are one of the bands most deserving of a strong fanbase out there; they create idiosyncratic music, they tour a lot, and they seem like genuinely nice people. So when they came on, and I turned around to see that the whole place was packed, I was filled with relief. Then as the performance went on and cheers started coming in for fan faves and people could be seen singing along, it was mostly just happiness that took over.
But, those people who showed up after the opening act certainly missed something quite different. Arriving onstage as a lone man and immediately placing on a strange voodoo-looking mask, GULL made an impression immediately. He started out by setting up some cavernous vocal loops on his guitar and then sat at the simplistic drum setup (still wearing the guitar) and started bashing along one handed and one footed. The effect was impressive, and that turned to creepy when a wailing entered the mix – it was so compressed and metallic that at first I thought it was coming from the guitar, but when I caught a glimpse of the man’s eyes shut in almost prayer-like concentration I realized he was strangely singing into a microphone secreted behind the mask. The effect of this single masked man, simultaneously playing guitar, drumming, and wailing, with just a single light cast across him, was effective indeed, and the music itself was engrossing, too. But then he ruined it by speaking, which broke the spell. It turns out GULL is not some kind of super-human creature, but just a normal dude. After speaking it was quickly back into the strange world of GULL with the next song, but the effect was never quite the same again, especially after he took his mask off completely for a few songs. I’m sure the crowd appreciated the thanks from GULL, and he certainly put on a memorable show that is worth checking out if you get the opportunity, but it could be an even more impressive act if he just walked on, played his strange brand of atmospheric rock, and then just walked off again without saying a word or removing his mask.
With White Rabbits, a stage persona or stage show is not really necessary. This Brooklyn sextet already has enough going on in the mere recreation of their songs to keep the crowd entertained without any extraneous embellishment. They kicked off with a trio of songs from their latest album, Milk Famous, having no trouble bringing the detail of their studio creations to the stage, with “I’m Not Me” particularly standing out. The first big cheer of the evening went up from the crowd for “The Salesman” from their last album, It’s Frightening, and the performance did not disappoint, culminating in singer Stephen Patterson’s impassioned repetition of the “recognize me!” lyric.
White Rabbits were at their best when they locked themselves into a groove that they could really jam out on. They put together a good stretch of four of these around the middle of the set, beginning with new jam “The Day You Won The War,” and gained momentum with a couple of older jams “They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong” and “The Plot,” which saw Patterson stretching his leg to put his foot up onto the piano, as if it would help make the song jam even harder. This mini-stretch ended with “Temporary,” arguably the best song from Milk Famous, this bass-driven rocker did not disappoint in the live setting.
The band brought the tempo down adeptly with “I Had It Coming,” which seemed like a nice way to end the main set, but White Rabbits are all about jamming, and somehow it seems it would have been wrong to end on a somber note. Instead, they brought the tempo right back up with “Danny Come Inside” (which once again saw them easily stepping into a deep groove that they rode out through the song) and finally blew the lid off the place with “Percussion Gun.” It seemed to me that they should have saved a song like “Percussion Gun” for the true ending, but the double header in the encore of “Rudie Fails” and “Kid on My Shoulders” did a much more than adequate job at wrapping up the night.
The performance seemed to go by in a flash; White Rabbits were slick, loud, fun and overall impressive. White Rabbits have spent a lot of time on the road in the last few years, and a lot of it as opening act to someone else, but on this current tour they’re proving that even without the help of big name friends like Spoon’s Britt Daniel (who was in attendance) they’re an exceptional live band who should be selling out headline shows nationwide.
White Rabbits set list:
Heavy Metal
Are You Free
I’m Not Me
The Salesman (Tramp Life)
While We Go Dancing
The Day You Won The War
They Done Wrong/We Done Wrong
The Plot
Temporary
Right Where They Left
Lionesse
I Had It Coming
Danny Come Inside
Percussion Gun
Rudie Falls
Kid On My Shoulders
