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The tougher things get, the harder we chew
Apr. 6th, 2011 11:57 amLast night was my first concert in quite some time--four bands for $15, a cozy little venue called Smalls, a converted bank in Hamtramck. The sound was awesome (apparently the sound guys actually *like* music at this club, and don't crank the bass up to obscene levels), and the set up was nice. There's a big room in front where the bar is, and it was great for cooldown. Down a narrow hallway was the merchandising room, cozy but not tiny, and most of the wall between it and the performance space was a passthrough so people can stand on queue for a CD and still see the show. And the concert space was intimate, but not cramped.
Deconstruct, Iris, De/Vision, and Mesh were the bands. I am told that some of these bands fill arenas in Europe, but there were about a hundred people at this show. It was billed as "Monsters of Synthpop" and I was a little unnerved when the first band came on and I had to peer very closely to make sure it wasn't a stealth-appearance by Devo. And from song to song I played 'guess the tribute' with OMD, Depeche Mode, VNV Nation, Meat Beat Manifesto... mostly eighties alternative, and toward the end of the show a lot more 'original' sound, but it was fun.
The weird thing was how few people at a synthpop concert were dancing. There were a couple of Alice in Wonderland girls who were swaying and fun to watch (one had a sloth backpack!), but largely speaking the lead singer for De/Vision did more dancing than the audience. People pressed to the front of the stage.... to take videos with their cameraphones. There may be an essay in here about how 'kids these days' aren't sure they exist unless they're documenting and broadcasting, but today is not that day. Three hours of sleep will do that.
The subject line is a lyric from Mesh, and it fits very nicely with the official family motto.
Which reminds me. If you're good with Latin and don't like verbs, email me. I need to translate the motto.
Deconstruct, Iris, De/Vision, and Mesh were the bands. I am told that some of these bands fill arenas in Europe, but there were about a hundred people at this show. It was billed as "Monsters of Synthpop" and I was a little unnerved when the first band came on and I had to peer very closely to make sure it wasn't a stealth-appearance by Devo. And from song to song I played 'guess the tribute' with OMD, Depeche Mode, VNV Nation, Meat Beat Manifesto... mostly eighties alternative, and toward the end of the show a lot more 'original' sound, but it was fun.
The weird thing was how few people at a synthpop concert were dancing. There were a couple of Alice in Wonderland girls who were swaying and fun to watch (one had a sloth backpack!), but largely speaking the lead singer for De/Vision did more dancing than the audience. People pressed to the front of the stage.... to take videos with their cameraphones. There may be an essay in here about how 'kids these days' aren't sure they exist unless they're documenting and broadcasting, but today is not that day. Three hours of sleep will do that.
The subject line is a lyric from Mesh, and it fits very nicely with the official family motto.
Which reminds me. If you're good with Latin and don't like verbs, email me. I need to translate the motto.