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Band of Skulls at First Avenue
Band of Skulls Setlist
Deap Vally Setlist
Tour Dates
06/06/14 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
Read More
06/07/14 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall 06/09/14 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall 06/10/14 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue 06/11/14 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre
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Naming a new album Himalayan (on Psycollective/Kobalt Records) makes for some mountain-sized expectations.
But, Southampton England’s Band of Skulls delivered on those lofty hopes and more, with a crunchy and raucous 95 min. set at First Avenue’s Mainroom in Minneapolis.
"This is our first time in Minneapolis ... and I know it's a Tuesday night, but this is a rock 'n roll show, so let's get loose!" said drummer Julie Edwards, one half of Los Angeles duo, Deap Vally, who opened the show with a breakneck set of their own. Although this was a technically true statement, the duo was actually at St. Paul’s Turf Club last year, opening for The Whigs.
In the brief time since the band has formed, they've already played most major shows on the UK festival circuit, including Hyde Park in London, Latitude Festival in Suffolk, and Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Their music, particularly because it is a garage-sounding guitar/drum combination, draws a lot of comparisons to The White Stripes, but singer/guitarist Lindsey Troy quickly pointed out to the Daily Star tabloid newspaper, that Jack White probably won't work with them… because of the way they dress (bare midriffs, stockings, halter tops).
As for Deap Vally's set, they mostly played tracks from their debut album, Sistrionix (out now on Island Records), but threw in some oddities like ‘She's a Wanderer’, which appeared on the True Blood soundtrack, and ‘Ain't Fair’ from their 2013 EP, Get Deap!
“Where we are going is anyone’s guess”, the lyric from set opening ‘Asleep at the Wheel’ was exactly the path Band of Skulls would charge forth from, keeping the audience on its toes with monster riffs and diverse rock sounds. The epic-invoking title track did not disappoint, with Russell Marsden (guitar, vocals), Emma Richardson (bass, vocals), and Matt Hayward (drums) plunging ahead with controlled abandon. The shared vocals of Marsden and Richardson were a ray of sunlight against the darkness of some of the lyrics and heaviness of Marsden’s guitars, while drummer Hayward looked mild-mannered in the background, pounding with such force though, that he completely detached a cymbal, towards the end of their set.
“Let’s see what you’ve really got tonight”, Marsden dared the crowd as the band moved into ‘You Aren't Pretty, But You Got It Going On’, Hayward’s beat as the song's foundation rumbling throughout the venue. “Let’s see if you can sing as well as dance”, Marsden mentioned, moving into a bluesy ‘I Know What I Am’, with the band backed on stage by blinding strobes and a trio of large, glowing circular stage lights framing each member.
The new ‘I Guess I Know You Fairly Well’ was anchored by a Jimmy Page-like rhythmic riff, while ‘Patterns’ from their 2009 debut, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, chugged along with urgency behind the song’s shared vocals.
Marsden recalled fondly opening for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club previously in the same room before ‘Toreador’, a new album cut inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s 1932 novel Death in the Afternoon, then dedicated the slower ‘Cold Fame’, to everyone in the crowd.
The new ‘Hoochie Coochie’ soared like a Muse song while ‘I Feel Like Ten Men, Nine Dead and One Dying’ also from Himalayan, was inspired by a phrase from Marsden’s grandfather… and has my vote as the year’s Best Song Title. ‘Hollywood Bowl’ from the band’s debut closed the main set, with the crowd yelling, “Hey!” on cue during the chorus, and head banging in place.
The three-song encore began with ‘Sweet Sour’, the title track from their 2012 effort, and ended with two familiar songs from their debut, ‘Light of the Morning’ and ‘Death by Diamonds and Pearls’, ostensibly crushing anything left in sight, before departing the stage, mountain scaled successfully.
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Deap Vally
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In the brief time since the band has formed, they've already played most major shows on the UK festival circuit, including Hyde Park in London, Latitude Festival in Suffolk, and Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Their music, particularly because it is a garage-sounding guitar/drum combination, draws a lot of comparisons to The White Stripes, but singer/guitarist Lindsey Troy quickly pointed out to the Daily Star tabloid newspaper, that Jack White probably won't work with them… because of the way they dress (bare midriffs, stockings, halter tops).
As for Deap Vally's set, they mostly played tracks from their debut album, Sistrionix (out now on Island Records), but threw in some oddities like ‘She's a Wanderer’, which appeared on the True Blood soundtrack, and ‘Ain't Fair’ from their 2013 EP, Get Deap!
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Band of Skulls
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Russell Marsden
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The new ‘I Guess I Know You Fairly Well’ was anchored by a Jimmy Page-like rhythmic riff, while ‘Patterns’ from their 2009 debut, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, chugged along with urgency behind the song’s shared vocals.
Marsden recalled fondly opening for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club previously in the same room before ‘Toreador’, a new album cut inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s 1932 novel Death in the Afternoon, then dedicated the slower ‘Cold Fame’, to everyone in the crowd.
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Setlist
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The three-song encore began with ‘Sweet Sour’, the title track from their 2012 effort, and ended with two familiar songs from their debut, ‘Light of the Morning’ and ‘Death by Diamonds and Pearls’, ostensibly crushing anything left in sight, before departing the stage, mountain scaled successfully.
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Band of Skulls at First Avenue, Minneapolis (03 June 2014) |
