Popscene – Spinning Platters

Single of the Week: “Ceci n’est pas un cliché” by Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul

I love dance music. But I need my dance music to feel like it’s made by humans. This track by Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul has a tight, solid groove and an infectious bassline that all sounds and feels like it was made with human hands. They call to mind 00’s legends New Young Pony Club, The Rapture, and yes, even a little LCD Soundsystem at times. (But without all the things that make LCD Soundsystem an absolute bore. Yeah. I said it.) “Ceci N’Est Pas Un Cliche'” is a great song for when you need a great sweat.

“Ceci N’Est Pas Un Cliche'” is out now in all the usual places. Their upcoming full length record, Topical Dancer, is coming to stores, DSP’s, and your mailbox on March 4th and can be prewhatevered here. Oh, and as regular readers of this site have gotten drilled into their skulls- get yourselves vaxxed and boosted and keep your N95 sealed to your face so you can catch them live this Spring, including a gig at our beloved Popscene on May 18th!

Show Review: Wet Leg with Fake Fruit and DJ Aaron Axelson at Rickshaw Stop, 12.15.21

It was the middle of June in the year 2021. This decade has been pretty terrible, but that single month may have been the most optimistic month of the hellscape we are living in. That’s when employers started hiring again en masse. Biden was hitting a solid stride in the White House. COVID was actually looking like it was about to turn a corner. And, for what felt like the first time years, the world was gifted a song born during the darkness that had killer hooks and lyrics that are purely silly. That song was “Chaise Longue,” and for me, it represented hope. Something that had been missing for far too long.

In the months since that blissful song entered our lives, the world has gotten darker. Yet, more and more people were quickly embracing Wet Leg. A second single, “Wet Leg,” came as things started to really subside again, and, somehow, it helped boost my mood again. That single was accompanied by news of a short winter tour- three cities in three nights. With the pangs of Delta uncertainty knocking at the door, I still decided to buy tickets. It was a good thing I did because those three shows sold out fast and quickly turned into a dozen. And as the news grew darker and more sour, I knew Wet Leg was coming to America. I made sure to get my booster and some well-fitted N95s in order to stay safe because I wasn’t missing this show. Continue reading “Show Review: Wet Leg with Fake Fruit and DJ Aaron Axelson at Rickshaw Stop, 12.15.21”

Show Review: Little Boots with AVAN LAVA and Feathers at Rickshaw Stop, 5/3/2013

Boots Dress

On a special Friday Popscene that went far into the night, all the way into the headliner’s birthday, the crowd was treated to synth pop in different forms — the dark tinged variety, the choreographed kind, and finally the made-for-the-charts sugary pop of Victoria Hesketh, aka Little Boots. It was a fun night, although not without some rough bits. Continue reading “Show Review: Little Boots with AVAN LAVA and Feathers at Rickshaw Stop, 5/3/2013”

10 Quick Questions with Robert and David Perlick-Molinari of French Horn Rebellion

French Horn Rebellion are an electronic music duo from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They consist of brothers Robert and David Perlick-Molinari, and, yes, they do actually incorporate the french horn into their mix of disco, pop, and a whole slew of other sounds. This Thursday, May 19th, we’ve got two opportunities to enjoy these guys live. They are opening for Yelle at The Regency Ballroom at 8 PM, and then running over to Rickshaw Stop for a Popscene DJ set right afterwards. Spinning Platters had a chance to talk to the brothers about the creative process, the french horn, and so on.

How do you treat the french horn on your records? The instrument is there, but rarely sounds like a french horn…
Continue reading “10 Quick Questions with Robert and David Perlick-Molinari of French Horn Rebellion”

Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 12/23/10-12/29/10

Lion Cubs Debut — The Tenderlions are at Popscene tonight.

Hey folks… Sorry, but this is a short list this week. Even musicians and club owners need to take a holiday! But, if you really can’t deal with it anymore, here are a few outings you can make:

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 12/23/10-12/29/10”

Show Review: MNDR at 330 Ritch – Popscene, 12/09/10

I don’t know what’s happened to Popscene over the years. When I was in my early and mid-20s, it was pretty much just a dance club. Then every once in a while, a really awesome band would come play. It was a fabulous treat, but really, it was still a dance club with lots of dancing before and after the band played (if there was one that night). Moved away to LA, moved back, basically fast forward to a world where I’m now 31 and haven’t been going out dancing as much. But I have been coming for shows every once in awhile. But maybe that’s what happened, more and more relevant bands have been playing this venue, so its turned more into a place for great late night shows than it is a place for dancing. Because there was sure no dancing going on this past Thursday night, well besides me with my recovering foot dancing almost by myself, when all the young kiddies were being lame and hanging out by the walls. Continue reading “Show Review: MNDR at 330 Ritch — Popscene, 12/09/10”

Show Review: Kele with Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Innerpartysystem at The Mezzanine, 9/18/2010

Hiatus is a dirty word when bands you love start throwing it around. Sometimes, the band returns, re-energized and ready for action. Other times the band returns, gets together for a little while, realizes the hiatus was the right move, and just breaks up. And then there are times when the band doesn’t come back at all. So when Bloc Party announced their hiatus, I was concerned. What would come of Kele Okereke, one of my favorite front men of all time? This weekend, I found out. Continue reading “Show Review: Kele with Does It Offend You, Yeah? and Innerpartysystem at The Mezzanine, 9/18/2010”

Show Review: Marina & The Diamonds at Popscene, 330 Ritch, 7/8/10

Marina&band — Marina & the Diamonds - Stripped down

Four songs into the set, Marina Diamandis, the songstress that is Marina & the Diamonds (the Diamonds being you, the fans, duh!) announces boldly that this is “the last chance you’ll get to see me like this.” Whether or not this is true, at this moment in time, Marina & the Diamonds is bigger than the packed dance floor of Popscene at 330 Ritch. Of course, Popscene is notorious for giving you the opportunity to say “I saw them when” but could Marina really back up her claim that she will be one of the greats, or will she just fade out once popular culture is done with her? Continue reading “Show Review: Marina & The Diamonds at Popscene, 330 Ritch, 7/8/10”

Show Review: Mumford & Sons at 330 Ritch (Popscene), 2/11/10

Popscene is known for getting its share of buzz bands on the way up. Marcus Mumford, lead singer of Mumford & Sons, the newest such band to grace the Popscene stage, commented on this as well.

“There’s a wall of fame downstairs, and it’s a bit intimidating.”

Will Mumford & Sons follow in the footsteps of such past performers like Muse, Bloc Party, Amy Winehouse, The Killers, and countless others? I’m guessing yes. I’m also guessing it’s not going to be cool to like this band in a few years. I should explain. Continue reading “Show Review: Mumford & Sons at 330 Ritch (Popscene), 2/11/10”

Show Review: VV Brown with Ebony Bones! at 330 Ritch (Popscene), 2/4/10

I generally avoid Popscene when possible. There are myriad reasons for this, which needn’t be explained to anyone who’s been there. For one, it’s notoriously 18+, which: no thanks! Any club that needs to see my special grown-up wristband before letting me have a beer is a place I’m happy to avoid. Secondly, there’s the inherent wrongness of any establishment that bills itself as “San Francisco’s premier indie nightclub.” So. Much. Wrong. Third, it’s scene-y in a superficially obvious way that still makes me feel I’m Susan Boyle standing around at Danceteria or something (cue the glittery 18-year-olds: “Who at the what?”).

And finally, I resent their unassailable skill at booking the hottest, coolest young acts and forcing the rest of us to go all the way to 330 Ritch in Mission Bay to see them (plus, I’m still mad I couldn’t get tickets when they hosted Amy Winehouse for her only Bay Area show to date). But sometimes these various negatives can come together for a really amazing positive. Last night’s show was one such exception. Continue reading “Show Review: VV Brown with Ebony Bones! at 330 Ritch (Popscene), 2/4/10”