March 13, 2010 9pm
The Summit
2210 Summit St.
(614) 268-9377
$10 adv / $12 door
Ages 18+ - under 21 pay $2 surcharge at door
We Were Promised Jetpacks
http://www.myspace.com/wewerepromisedjetpacks
Half bracing post-punk and half tuneful indie-pop, Glasgow’s We Were Promised Jetpacks features vocalist/guitarist Adam Thompson, guitarist Michael Palmer, bassist Sean Smith, and drummer Darren Lackie. The group formed while the foursome was still attending an Edinburgh high school, where they won a battle of the bands contest with their very first gig. After graduation, We Were Promised Jetpacks relocated to Glasgow, and their sound matured as well, moving from simple song structures and clean guitars to a more ambitious, anthemic approach. They were also inspired by fellow Glaswegians the Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit, and these influences could be heard on the three-song demo the band recorded, which received airplay on BBC, XFM, and Q Radio in the U.K., and KEXP in the States. In 2008, We Were Promised Jetpacks toured as Frightened Rabbit’s opening act; that year, they were signed by Fat Cat Records (also home to both Frightened Rabbit and the Twilight Sad). In 2009, the band released two singles, Quiet Little Voices and”Roll Up Your Sleeves,” before their full-length These Four Walls arrived that summer. - ©1992-2008 All Media Guide, LLC
Lonely Forest
http://www.myspace.com/thelonelyforest
Formed in the waterfront town of Anacortes, WA, the Lonely Forest center on the talents of vocalist/pianist John Van Deusen. The group came together as a quartet in 2005, when frontman Van Deusen chose to bolster his piano-driven compositions with help from guitarist Tony Ruland, drummer Braydn Krueger, and bassist Eric Sturgeon. The group’s spacy sound attracted the ear of Seattle’s Jack Endino (who, in 1989, produced Nirvana’s Bleach), and the Lonely Forest subsequently entered Endino’s studio in 2006 to cut the Regicide EP. Ruland left the band soon after the EP’s release, but the remaining bandmates opted not to replace him, choosing instead to let Van Deusen’s piano assume a larger role in the group’s sound. Retreating to their drummer’s garage, the Lonely Forest rehearsed and recorded Nuclear Winter, an indie rock concept album revolving around the themes of apocalypse and space travel. Although the album’s release was largely limited to the Pacific Northwest, it received much support from KEXP and other local outlets. - ©1992-2008 All Media Guide, LLC
Bear Hands
http://www.bearhandsband.com/
As label mates of MGMT and a band known to bring similar dance groves to the packed venues around the East Coast, Bear Hands has been getting a ton of buzz in the New York music scene. They’ve been around for about five years and still not that much love from Los Angeles.
Fortunately, I was lucky enough to catch the trio’s first performance in the LA area at local favorite Spaceland before they would rock the Troubadour the next evening. It was apreview of things to come.
When the four piece came on stage there was a bit of anticipation in the crowd. I took a peek at the setlist which started with “Slow.”A fitting title because the song indeed achieved its namesake. It was a little something to set the mood, something to prepare the masses (which was mostly filled with punkers for the next group) and something to get the crowd moving – to get the crowd moving in a slow sultry way, the only way to move with the swaying synths.
Everything about Bear Hands just screamed sexy. “Get a Grip” highlighted funky vocals displayed by Dylan Rau to the drug-like wails of Ted Feldman which created a dreamy daze. Not everyone was into the sexiness and some mumbling about them being too mellow for those naysayers. “Can’t Stick Em” brought the house down. It may have started out with faint guitars but it turned into a kick drum tyraid complete with over-driven bass. Rau went from singing to shouting “Go Home” at the top of his lungs.
Perhaps those initial naysayers should have just gone home but they all obviously wanted more once the set ended. A band that successfully takes you in and out of lush haze with vivid shoegaze mixed in is the perfect mix for any indie dance party. Check some of the photos out from the show below! - Carl Pocket, Beat Crave