W♥M (Archive)

The Struts at Troubadour, West Hollywood (14 October 2015)

Tour Dates 10/17 Woodlands, TX KTBZ-FM Buzzfest 10/19 Atlanta, GA Earl 10/20 Charlottesville, VA Southern 10/21 Washington, DC Rock & Roll Hotel 10/23 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom 10/24 Philadelphia, PA Foundry 10/25 Boston, MA Sinclair 10/26 Buffalo, NY Iron Works 10/28 Nashville, TN High Watt 10/29 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill 10/31 New Orleans, LA Voodoo Music 11/01 Dallas, TX Club Dada 11/02 Austin, TX Stubb’s BBQ 11/04 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep 11/05 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre 11/08 Vancouver, BC Venue 11/09 Seattle, WA Crocodile 11/10 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom 11/11 Reno, NV Knitting Factory 11/13 Scottsdale, AZ Pub Rock 11/14 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock Live 11/27 Toronto, ON Adelaide Hall 11/28 Montreal, QC Fairmount Theatre 11/29 Wilkes-Barre, PA Chandelier Lobby 12/01 Norfolk, VA Norva 12/02 Richmond, VA National 12/06 Maplewood, MN The Myth 12/07 KPNT 105.7 The Point's Ho Ho Show 12/09 How The Edge Stole Christmas Read More The Struts Breakout U.K. band The Struts will be stopping by First Avenue this September 17th, in support of their hit Have You Heard EP (Interscope Records), with single "Could Have Been Me". …

A band comes along every now and then that has the ability to shock and shake you. There’s just something about them that draws you in and sends you into a transcendental state of blissed-out musical euphoria. Most of the time these said bands are going to be from Britain (hey, you know it’s true). Glam-rock-indie band The Struts, from Derby, England, have been gaining some impressive momentum with their first full-length album Everybody Wants, and now they’re touring the country promoting their US debut EP ‘Have You Heard’. This past Wednesday they took the stage at the Troubadour here in L.A., with native band The Shelters opening. Relevant to the hype of this amazingly dynamic foursome, this particular Struts show sold out hours after tickets went on sale.

The Troubadour is the Mecca for intimate shows and quintessential rock ‘n’ roll vibes. It’s a low-key venue where musicians and industry people go to give a nod and get introduced to outrageous talent- new and old. The Shelters are an upbeat indie rock band from L.A., and their track ‘The Ghost is Gone’ is a nice psychedelic blend of old school rock and droned out 90’s wave. While listening to them from the balcony I glanced behind me and noticed Tom Petty bobbing his head and clapping his hands while the guitarist did a solo. Legends eyeing potential legends, ya dig?

While the stage was being set up for The Struts I ran downstairs to get a good spot on the floor. Looking up I noticed that backstage (which is actually just an upstairs with thin little curtains in plain view of the audience) you could see the band having a little photo shoot and jumping around the room, perhaps getting out any last-minute jitters before the performance. The lights dim and the crowd starts to get amped, and while rainbow-colored lights hit the stage, the theme song from The Neverending Story starts and sends a chill of nostalgia over the room... while also sending a message loud and clear that we’re in for a special and intoxicatingly entertaining treat.

The Struts

The crowd packs in closer to the stage as the theme song ends and the room goes quiet. Finally Adam Slack (guitar), Jed Elliott (bass),  and Gethin Davies (drums) race down the stairs and hop on their instruments. Moments later frontman Luke Spiller rushes the stage donned in an oversized glistening tunic and black shiny pants. These guys have the chemistry of The Beatles with the stage presence of Zeppelin to boot. They go right into ‘Roll Up’, with Luke howling into the mic “Now, whatever I wear, it’s gotta have flare, so you people can stare...Everybody wants, everybody wants, roll up, roll up, roll up for satisfaction.” The whole band is smiling and having the time of their lives, and they leave caution to the smoky haze that fills their set. Their sound may be smart and fundamental enough for massive radio play, but they carry textures of uplifting rock ‘n’ roll tunes that hold true to that raw, uncut kind of feeling. “Los Angeles, can you dance?” Luke inquires to a sea of admiring fans. “Can you sing?” He continues on to conduct a yelling contest from opposite sides of the crowd. The energy is through the roof and Luke is dripping golden glitter. “Glitter in the eyes, I don’t recommend it.”

Next up the band goes into their massive hit ‘Could Have Been Me’. This song is about going after your dreams and never giving up, and it is an instant crowd pleaser. There’s a difference between pretentious egomaniacs who just want attention and the true soul of Rock Gods. Rock Gods have a way of connecting with people, of energizing their audience in a way that turns it into a universal feeling; making it about humanity. The Struts, though a rather young band, seem to have mastered this in that they are immensely generous to their fans. Must be one of the reasons they opened for The Rolling Stones last year in Paris (where their following is HUGE). This band is flawless and seems to have been playing together for much longer than 3 years. Baby-faced Adam is a killer guitar player and shined in his solo on their next song ‘Kiss This’. Again, Luke encouraged the audience to sing along with him, and we gladly complied. “When I say jump, you fucking jump!” This kid is a riot, and I believe he was born to galvanize the music world.

Think David Bowie in The Labyrinth meets Lou Reed meets Freddie Mercury....

After a quick wardrobe change Luke returns wearing a fringed black cape ensemble (this guy’s got incredible style, and is creating his own brand of clothing called Beautifully Strange). Think David Bowie in The Labyrinth meets Lou Reed meets Freddie Mercury. “There’s a thunderstorm outside...and we wanna bring it in here!” He proceeds to get the people on the floor and sing with him “Na Na Na Na ooooo Na Na Na” and the likes of that for about 10 minutes. Talk about up close and personal... it really made me feel like I was back in elementary school at recess with a really rad group of playmates. These guys are making live shows fun again, and if anyone can make the known-to-be-stuffy crowd of Angelinos get on the floor and sing for a while, well, bravo...that’s a grand feet in and of itself.

“When we found out we sold out this legendary venue, our breaths were taken away.” Luke tells the crowd near the end of the show. He’s a mover and a shaker, and the rest of the band seems to recharge his batteries more and more with every song. It was a soaring ball of fire and fun for the entire night, and I truly wanted it to be endless. But alas, all good things must come to an end, but The Struts assured us they would be back soon, and with new material. They ended the night with the catchy rebel tune ‘Put Your Money on Me.’ After the show Adam told me they’d be back in February (Yay). With shows like these, I guess they won’t ever have to look back and say it “Could Have Been Me”. (I’m sorry, I had to.)

The Struts at Troubadour, West Hollywood (14 October 2015)

jess ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Veils at the Troubadour, Los Angeles 8/8

Setlist Read More The Veils Add in a killer rock band, and this concoction leaves you with one hell of a heavenly experience. That's what The Veils brought on the last night of Brighton's own Great Escape festival, and a holy setting it was indeed. …

A buzz inundated the Troubadour in West Hollywood Thursday night for The Veils. This venue is idyllic for a badass rock show, not only for its monumental history (Elton John and James Taylor performed there before their careers skyrocketed), but the intimate setting changes the entire dynamic of the performer/fan relationship. The energy is calming and sets the tone for a superb evening.

As some of you may have read back in June, I saw The Veils at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, England. They performed in a cathedral on the edge of town, and it was one of the most inspiring live performances I have ever seen. So naturally I jumped at the chance to see them in LA. This London-based band consists of the brilliant frontman Finn Andrews, Sophia Burn (bass), Dan Raishbrook (guitar), Raife Burchell (drums), and Uberto Rapisardi (keys, synth). The band has certainly had its peaks and valleys, with Finn being the only original member, however with their latest album Time Stays, We Go, there seems to be evidence of their cognitive sound as an entity.

Opening for The Veils were LA's own Beach Party. This foursome really have a way of making you feel like punk rock is alive and well. They started their set with Geronimo, which seemed to be a favorite track amongst the sea of fans. With their impressive guitar solos and in-your-face lyrics, these guys are loaded with talent and could easily hold the title of Crybaby Punk Rock (movie reference intended). They're The Kinks with a dash of Ian Curtis, certainly an energetic performance to warm up the crowd for the Veils. They ended their set with their more psych-rock track Fun, which seemed to coincide with a little adolescent angst meets not giving a damn.

Checking out the stage before The Veils came on, it would seem like any other setup for a band about to perform; a low drumset, Hammond keyboard, Nord synthesizer, horns, bass, guitars. Then, as the lights dim and the energy shifts, here comes the cowboy you want to get to know and his gang...a few gentleman and a darling little lady picking gingerly on the bass lines as they kicked off the night with the compelling track Train with No Name. Finn, with his skeleton-like fingers, grabs you with one note of his vocals by the heartstrings and whisks you away into his world- dark, grey, ominous...but somehow shows you a ray of hope on the horizon as the song transcends. He is a magnanimous performer, gracious with fans and emotionally provocative in a way that ends a shiver up your spine.

he literally puts his heart and soul onto a platter for his audience

Picking up the pace with the spritely tune Turn From the Rain, Finn could be reminiscent of a young Johnny Cash or a Jeff Buckley; he literally puts his heart and soul onto a platter for his audience, and for himself. The horns in this band give their sound a grand, cinematic feel...with a nostalgic wonder you can't quite place. After joking a bit about their evilness and scary presence, the band plays my favorite track on the album, Birds. This song is a painting, a poem, embodying a boyish concern with a bit of mischief; much like Finn himself. As Raife hits hard on the drums in Sign of Your Love, he and Finn make a spectacle for the crowd, Finn hitting the snare drum in perfect rhythm with Raife, and as if on cue, the crowd goes wild. Rhythmically, The Veils hit the nail on the hammer, always right on point with bold elements of surprise.

The band exits and the encore plea from the crowd was phenomenal. This show could go on for hours as far as most of us were concerned. Finn came out and graced us with two acoustic songs, the first the ever-beloved Lavinia. A hush comes over the crowd as his sorrow spills into the unlit room, his notes like a rainfall. This reticent sadness is with all of us- Finn just gives it a voice. One can easily fall down this deep dark hole into a pit of fire, and you don't care, because you have love and lust and an enormous plethora of integral emotions. This is what live music should be made of- it's an aura of distinct pleasure mixed with a longing for the unknown and the well-known. Lyrics pour out of Finn's mouth like thorns from a rose, painful, aching, and with purpose.

Ending the night with the massively popular Nux Vomica, it seems the battle for recognition from this band has been won, and won well. Giving a nod and a tip of his jaunty hat, Finn and his band exit the stage with a genuine thank you and bid farewell to their adoring fans. A night to remember would be a colossal understatement.

The Veils at the Troubadour, Los Angeles (08/08/13)

jess ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ theveils.com

Caveman at Troubadour, Los Angeles 3/28

Tour Dates 04/01 Austin, TX @ Parish 04/02 Denton, TX @ Dan’s Silverleaf 04/04 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree 04/05 Nashville, TN @ The High Watt 04/06 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn 04/07 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 04/09 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat 04/10 New York, NY @ Webster Hall 04/11 Philadelphia, PA @ J.Brenda’s 05/23-05/25 – George, WA @ Sasquatch Fest Read More Caveman The last we heard from Caveman was their debut CoCo Beware in 2011. It's been a few years now, but the band is back with a brand new.…

Caveman graced the Troubadour in LA on Thursday night, accompanied by Pure Bathing Culture. Their latest album Coco Beware dropped in 2011 and was re-released after being picked up by Fat Possum records early 2012. I saw Caveman around this time last year in Chicago, and Iʼm delighted to say they have gotten even more scintillating onstage.

Pure Bathing Culture was sort of a bore to sit through. The lead singer actually had a decent voice, similar to Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine, however the instrumentals reminded me of something from a bad 80ʼs movie prom scene. The lyrics were also pretty cheesy, yet there were a couple guitar solos that perked my interest. Overall though they just werenʼt up my alley.

Ah, Caveman. What a thrill to see them again! These dapper guys sauntered onstage like they owned the place. The lead singer Matthew seems to be a pro at casually muttering humorous things throughout the set, and it was drummer Stefanʼs birthday so they were all joking around and poking fun at him. They opened with the easy-breezy summer tune ʻThankfulʼ, while gaining a warm welcome from my fellow Angelinos. I spotted Father John Misty in the back bar bobbing his head in a state of bliss. I love musicians digging other musicians.

With the disco ball in the air ablaze, the band continued to energize as they ripped out a couple brand new songs from the album that drops next week. They have a way of setting up dreamy melodies then carrying us away with insatiable drumbeats and rocking guitar solos. They are just positively GROOVY. Psychedelic rock seems to be on the rise in the indie world, but they have a perfect mix of folk ballads and heartfelt lyrics, like in ʻWhereʼs the Timeʼ, to add to this specific genre to make them completely unique. Even more impressive? Matthew gets out his own mini drum set and plays a few songs while singing. I personally canʼt get enough of two drummers...itʼs a powerful feat. Ending with my favorite track on Coco ʻGreat Lifeʼ, I only had one wish after they bid Los Angeles goodbye...”Can they come back every Thursday?”

Caveman at Troubadour, Los Angeles (03/28/13)

jess () ♥ mothermothersite.com