I too recently saw the light of The Darkness.  But 1st a quick recap of the
month that was:

I can't really remember what happened before the 13th...but I saw Bob Dylan
on the 13th - Interesting show mainly because he played piano the entire
show.  Everything was turned into barroom blues which worked for some songs,
but not for others...Friends who had never seen him before were
disappointed.  I put it at about #3 of the 6 times I've seen him.  Since my
expectations were lower (seen some bad Dylan shows), I was pleasently
surprised - and although he was rather quiet between songs, you could
understand his singing.  My main thought is if he's going to do a "barroom
blues" set, why not pick a set list from the huge catalog that lends itself
to that - only one song from "Blonde On Blonde"?  The show was over in time
to catch The Lackloves & Rockfour.  I saw the new Lackloves disc last night
and the packaging is top class...the small preview of the tracks I got
shouldn't disappoint anyone - a great batch of songs with a smattering of
older live favorites recorded for the first time.  Rockfour get better
everytime I see them - Killer(no pun)cover of "Happiness Is A Warm Gun."

On to SXSW a few days later. In order from Tuesday to Sunday (at least as
far as I can remember): 
Michael Hall and The Woodpeckers; The Silos; Grand Champeen; Okkervil River;
Swearing At Motorist; Lil Capn Travis; Grand Champeen; Joan Jett; The
Cynics; Echo Base; Lil Capn Travis, Ethan Azarian (from The Orange Mothers),
Mike Nicolai; Grand Champeen; Nice Outfit; Walter Clevenger; Kelly Willis w/
Fastball as her backup band; Josh Rouse; Mission Of Burma; The Constantines;
Shearwater; The Wrens; All Night Radio (ex-Beachwood Sparks); South San
Gabriel (which is really Centro-Matic fleshed out to a 9-piece); Big Star;
Mendoza Line; Centro-Matic; (missed Robyn Hitchcock but saw him in the crowd
at the evening show of...) Centro-Matic again - Best Shows: Mission Of Burma
& Big Star.  Favorite Texas bands of the year: Centro-Matic, Lil Capn Travis
(new album is great - especially "Natural Fool") & Grand Champeen (new album
is so/so, but still killer live).  I also got to meet the friendly men of
The Golden Apples, but unfortunately missed their sets...I'll catch em one
of these times.  Missed more than I saw, but still the best SXSW of the 15
or so I've been to.

Back to Milwaukee for the 1st night of The Darkness' US tour.  People I know
drove from Minneapolis for this show.  I didn't really care and was planning
on going to see Death Cab For Cutie w/ Ben Kweller by myself in the other
half of the complex.  I ended up scoring a ticket to the sold out Darkness
show & stuck with my group of friends.  I haven't experienced that kind of
electricity in the air of a show since probably my first
concert...(Heart/Loverboy?...something around that time).  All you old jaded
fucks (I'm one of them), need to see this band.  I believe in the power of
rock n roll again.  I am revitalized.  I'm ready for another 40 years.

The next night I caught The Living End (not a bad show, I'd like to see them
on a "Warped Tour" type package sometime).  Jet - good show, dumb meathead
crowd (especially compared to the love & 'lectricity from the night before),
steered away from the ballads which I feel is their strong point.  The Vines
- So bad we left and saw a local cover band The 5-Card Studs, who do a very
entertaining tongue-in-cheek vegas-style lounge act.

That brings me to the 27th...and I slept.

Dan FrankE
NP: Aztec Camera's best of

 

 

 

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