After two long years, the mighty Idles finally made their appearance at the Warfield Thursday night as part of their “Beauty From Ashes” tour. While mainly a celebration of being able to tour again, it’s now also a de facto album tour for their upcoming album Crawler, which drops this Friday, November 12. Arriving at the Warfield with singer Joe Tablot proclaiming his foot to be “fucked,” how would the band and crowd celebrate being together after such a long break?Continue reading “Show Review: Idles with Gustaf at The Warfield, 11/6/2021”
There’s never been any debate over the fact that English new-prog, Pink-Floyd-meets-metal band Porcupine Tree is Steven Wilson, in both part and in whole. While comprised of a core set of musicians that have contributed to the writing, recording, and touring of the many records forged over its career, Porcupine Tree started as a project for Wilson alone to craft music; in fact, at its very beginning, it was a made-up legendary rock band with its own fake history and discography that Wilson had penned with a colleague back in the late 1980s. Twenty years later, Wilson has put his primary project on a shelf (Porcupine Tree has been on hiatus since 2010) and shifted the attention to his own “solo work”. Lest the reader shy away from the often-wary prospect of a frontman deciding to carve out his own path, Wilson’s output has been nothing short of spectacular, now spanning the length of four albums which demonstrate a remarkable leap in creativity, songwriting, and production with each successive release. Hot off the heels of his recently-released Hand. Cannot. Erase., Wilson returned to the Bay Area on Sunday night for a live performance with his new touring band, and the result was a gorgeous, stunning display of musicianship and sonic texture that shook the walls of the Warfield for over two hours.
Moses Sumney was a sentimental surprise as he kicked off the evening. His emotional acoustic and soulful balladry lifted everyone to the smiling, smooth side of R&B. His performance gave an opening emotional dynamic to the show by allowing a vulnerable, emotional connection to what was yet to come.
Just prior to Dr. Dog was Saint Rich. Saint Rich, a New Jersey skateboarding enthusiast, had an eccentric life stage performance. Complimented with the musical harmony but not to duplicate Dr.Dog.
Closing the exciting Noise Pop Festival was – Dr. Dog. When their fans packed the Warfield, Dr. Dog knew exactly how to respond with current favorites “The Truth” and “Lonesome” while blending in a favorites from the past such as “These Days” and “Oh No”.
Dr. Dog certainly has a loyal fan club in the Bay Area. The simple reason is, each of their albums sequentially build on the one before while remaining true to the original unique sound. Each performance enhances an appreciation of their vintage harmonizing sound. Still true to the east coast vibe; yet, unique enough to remain unclassified from the common pop and indie trend. Just one of many reasons Dr. Dog will remain a Bay Area favorite.
If you think he’s adorable in pictures, you should see him live…
Tonight I was the victim of a crime, and I never saw it coming. Okay, neither of those statements is entirely true. I did lose my socks tonight, but only because the iconic Bryan Adams rocked them right off.* And yes, I should have seen it coming, given that for as long as I can literally remember, I’ve been rocking out to this man’s music. When I saw that he was coming to town (much earlier this evening at San Francisco’s Warfield Theatre, for those that missed it), I quickly made a note on my calendar. I knew this was one I wouldn’t want to skip, and I was excited for it. But it wasn’t until he began to play hit after hit that I started to realize just how talented this guy is. One thing, specifically, that I love about Adams’ tunes is that he can write a killer ballad/love song without it being syrupy sweet or cheesy. They’re romantic as hell, but they don’t make me want to vomit (or change the radio station). In my book, there isn’t much better than that. Continue reading “Show Review: Bryan Adams at the Warfield Theatre, 10/14/2013”
It’s been a rough three years for Paramore. In that time, they’ve gone through almost as many drummers as Spinal Tap, and had to deal with one of the most public and bitter band break ups in recent memory. However, they have returned with a self titled album that is a collection of tracks that bring to mind their early forays into emo and hardcore, as well as some of the most positive songs they’ve released in years. Since it’s been a while, they are warming themselves up with small venue tour. However, since they like a challenge, they brought Kitten along for the ride- a live experience so dizzying that only the most confident band should try to play afterwards.
“PTX” takes the stage (L to R: Kirstie, Avi, Kevin, Scott & Mitch)
Never heard of Pentatonix? That’s okay, you’re not alone: neither had our editor-in-chief until I mentioned my excitement at covering their sold-out show at the Warfield this past Sunday. While he feared he may be losing his touch (“getting old I am,” said his text), I reassured him that if a cappella groups aren’t his thing and/or he’s never seen a recent episode of NBC’s The Sing-Off, it makes sense that season 3 winners Pentatonix haven’t yet crossed his radar…until now.
Thanks to Jason Miller for this awesome pic of Tom Chaplin killin’ it!
Have you ever seen something advertising a band playing in your city, and thought, “I’d really like to see them, even though I only know one or two of their songs”? That was the extent of my relationship with Keane until recently. I’ve certainly heard several of their songs on the radio over the years, and especially love their biggest hit, “Somewhere Only We Know,” but until I found out I had access to check them out with opener Youngblood Hawke this weekend at San Francisco’s Warfield, I hadn’t actually sat down to give their tunes a thorough listen. Continue reading “Show Review: Keane with Youngblood Hawke at the Warfield, 1/11/2013”
The late 90s and early 2000s were an interesting time for popular metal music, when an often-bemoaned genre known as “nü-metal” clawed its way into existence, its rap-infused tendrils hot on the heels of bands like Rage Against The Machine and Faith No More, with its core still deeply rooted in groove-filled pop sensibilities that made it edgily acceptable to throw onto the radio. As the scene began dying out with the advent of metalcore and the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, groups that were still passionate about performing fought desperately to stay relevant, deigning their sound by bringing new elements into it that clashed with the original tunes that made them famous. It can be argued forever, of course, which bands did this as an attempt at creativity, and which bands did it as an attempt to appeal to more fans and listeners. The Sacramento quintet known as Deftones, however, have stood the test of time through this transition, and despite the definite traces of nü-metal within their sound, their desire to experiment and push boundaries has always remained constant.
The life span of a band under the current hype machine can be rather short. Often times, the hype is so intense that people are sick of you before your first single is released. By the time the second record comes out, all of the ironically facial haired masses will have you filed away under Friendster. The only option a band has if they want to stay alive is to introduce themselves to a whole new audience. Sleigh Bells are at that place. The cool kids that embraced them in the beginning have totally rejected them, and it’s time for genuine music fans to take them in.
It’s been almost ten years since I was first introduced to the music of Switchfoot. At the time, I was living in San Diego and they were a local band on the brink of making it. Somewhere between frontman Jon Foreman’s distinctive voice and lyrics that inspired me to live fully, (“this is your life – is it everything you dreamed that it would be when the world was younger and you had everything to lose?”) I had found a band whose music I could never play too much. Sure enough, nearly a decade later, I continue to love each album as much (or more!) than the one that preceded it. Somehow, life has managed to keep me from ever seeing this band live…until last night. Finally, finally, finally, my time had come: Switchfoot and co-headliners Anberlin graced the stage at the Warfield in San Francisco with openers Atomic Tom, and what better way to spend a beautifully rainy Monday night than warm and cozy inside with a fantastic band? Continue reading “Show Review: Switchfoot with Anberlin and Atomic Tom at the Warfield, 10/10/2011”
