Bishop Allen w/Hooded Fang & The Electric Owls @ El Mocambo
Figure this one out: the last time that I saw New York's Bishop Allen, they were a very small band playing at the 550+ capacity Lee's Palace. Needless to say the crowd was decent, but nowhere near full. Since then, they've had the added exposure that comes from being in a semi-hit feature film, namely Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which guarantees that their under 25 female adulation will grow exponentially. Still, this time around, they were booked at the smaller (and significantly less good) 400+ capacity El Mocambo. "Who are the ad wizard's who came up with that one!?!" Obviously, the show was not only packed, but it also sold out. However, that being the case, the vibe was one of heightened enthusiasm which added significantly to the band's stellar performance on Saturday night.
About ten years ago, if Jeopardy had a category based on power pop, my only point loss would be due to forgetting to state my answer in the form of a question. These days however, my tastes have grown somewhat more eclectic, and power pop isn't sitting atop my record collection as it once did. This doesn't mean though that a simple enthusiastic hook doesn't still have the ability to get my head shaking. Bishop Allen is one of the best that the current wave has to offer, and this is because they also lace their hook laden melodies with highly literate lyrical observations and a touch of folksy charm. The 14 song set flew by pretty quickly as the band wasted no time segueing from one tune to another; keeping the banter minimal but never once isolating the audience. They used the opportunity to feature several new songs that will likely be available on their upcoming Grr... album, which is set to be released in March. The familiar favourites were all included as well, including Click, Click, Click, Click, Rain and Like Castanets. If you didn't know which song was featured in the Michael Cera movie, it didn't take a genius to figure it out, since the bevy of short and tweenish girls went absolutely dance floor nutty when Middle Management was performed in all its hyped up glory! I mentioned in my previous review that Justin and Christian had had their thunder stolen from them by means of a very enthusiastic drummer. This time around, everybody was in full form and the two front men appeared to be having the time of their lives. 'The Running Man' may be Justin Rice's only dance move, but he performed it with such charismatic abandon that it was hard not to be sucked in by his enthusiasm. And Christian Rudder was whoopin' and hollerin' and just having a grand old time! It's true that their last show was good enough to encourage me to check them out again, but this time around solidified the fact that the band is not only good, but tons of fun as well.
Photos: My Bishop Allen photos are on flickr
Myspace: Bishop Allen
Download: Click Click Click Click mp3
Download: Rain mp3
I don't know if a band likes being referred to as 'adorable' but there's something about Hooded Fang that makes me want to collect 'em all and trade 'em with my friends. They're just so gosh darned cute. This is the second time that I've seen them in a matter of months and I don't know if I have much more to add from the last time. They're still playing deceptively sweet boy-girl pop songs, their lead singer is still their drummer and they still make good use of keyboards, glockenspiel and horns. The show started off a little bit reserved, but by about the third or fourth song, they started to find their groove. The band is multi-talented as they all switched up their instruments at different intervals throughout the set, and many of the songs are infectious and enjoyable. I'd like to see the members pump up the jams a little bit and present themselves with a little bit more zealous fervor. One of them looked like he might've told his mom that he was going out to study and he was nervous that she was going to catch him playing in a rock 'n roll band at a bar. Still, the band shows potential and if they are as young as they look, I'm sure they'll have plenty of time to meet that potential. They also seem to be playing an awful lot of gigs in the months ahead, so they're going to get plenty of practice.
Photos: My pics of Hooded Fang are on flickr
Myspace: Hooded Fang
Getting the party started was an artist from North Carolina that goes by the name The Electric Owls. This is an interesting moniker considering the fact that the artist on that stage was rather singular and acoustic. Chromewaves' Frank had informed me that The Electric Owls is actually Andy Herod, formerly of The Comas. (Fun fact: He once dated Michelle Williams from Dawson's Creek and wrote an acclaimed album about the courtship and miserable breakup called Conductor.) He has a very distinct and endearing voice, and I thought the songs were enjoyable enough, even if they didn't really 'wow' me in any way. I also thought that his lyrics might've been a bit on the wrong side of bizarre as you've gotta wonder about a guy who writes a song called Cannibal Superstar. The song Magic Show kinda rocks though. He also threw in a couple of covers. His version of Jackson Browne's These Days was pretty good, even though I've heard it performed live by about 6 or 7 different artists now as it dives dangerously close to becoming the next generation's Hallelujah. He also took a stab at Bobby Vinton's Mr. Lonely which was a bit underwhelming, but still an admirable cover choice nonetheless.
Photos: My Electric Owls pics are on flickr
Myspace: Electric Owls
Labels: bishop allen, concert review, el mocambo, electric owls, hooded fang
posted by Bobby B at 2:00 PM
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