Saturday night I was invited out to Union Pool to see Read Yellow, The Art Of Shooting, Forget Cassettes, and Detachment Kit. The first thing I need to mention is that this was the first time I had ever been to Union Pool for a show. I was under the impression that they either crammed everyone one into the small front room or the bands played outside. Either way it was raining out and I did not want to stand outside for bands or squeeze into that super tiny front room. But I decided to go anyway and I'm glad I did.
I had no idea that there was another room with a stage. It was a fucking killer room with great atmosphere. It looked like an old western saloon, complete with a balcony and stairs. All they needed was a piany, a card table, and some whores on the balcony and I would have thought I was in Silver City.
Anyway, after around 9:45 or so Read Yellow finally went on. I had heard a few tracks prior to this show and they were pretty good. They sorta reminded me of a more punk rock version of Bear Vs. Shark. When they kicked off the first song I immediately noticed how the sound system at UP kinda sucks balls. Despite that Read Yellow has some really killer energy.
The singer was all over the place including the crowd. At one point he kneels down on the floor screams into the mic and then drives the top of his head into some random dudes crotch - poor bastard. It was unfortunate that the crowd wasn't being more active. Read Yellow is a good band but they have that hardcore/punk spirit where the crowd HAS to take part or the show sucks. This is not good when your audience is mostly indie hipsters - they don't like to move much.
The singer was trying his damndest to get people motivated but it just never really happened. The crowd seemed to be digging the tunes but not enough for dancing. The band is really good and would have benefited from playing with artists of a more similar sound. Overall I really dug Read Yellow.
After Read Yellow and a couple more beers The Art Of Shooting took the stage. The band is composed of two broads and a guy on drums. The girls are average at best but the strength of the band is the drummer. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this dude was phenomenal. Easily one of the best drummers I've seen. His hands were so fast you could only see trails. He was doing these crazy cross overs at insane speeds.
They played a couple of songs which I had heard before at various parties around town. They have some really good songs but they sound better on tape. The girls just weren't very good to be honest. To be fair though it wasn't bad either and the drummer makes it totally worth the price of admission.
Next up on the bill was Forget Cassettes. At this time I realized I had no room left on the camera so I have no pics of the cute singer chick. Again I'm not super familiar with Forget Cassettes but I have heard a few tracks here and there. I was looking forward to seeing them just because of the buzz I've been hearing about the band.
Forget Cassettes are a good band and they have some cool tunes. I really enjoyed the set they played but it wasn't great. The singer had a really strong voice and a really short skirt, which is an excellent combo. I would definitely catch this band again if they come around.
After Forget Cassettes played it was fairly late. I think they were nearly an hour behind schedule at this point. I really wanted to see Detachment Kit so I hung in there despite really wanting to leave. I really haven't heard much songwise from them but I've heard plenty hype wise. As they started to set up the crowd size damn near doubled. They went into the first song and everyone started singing along.
Finally a response out of the crowd! I only managed to last about three songs before I took off. I want to be clear that it had nothing to do with the band. They were actually really good and I was enjoying them but I had to leave. The three or so songs I did hear were pretty awesome and I will make sure I catch them next time they play. Overall this was a good show, for once none of the bands sucked!
I had no idea that there was another room with a stage. It was a fucking killer room with great atmosphere. It looked like an old western saloon, complete with a balcony and stairs. All they needed was a piany, a card table, and some whores on the balcony and I would have thought I was in Silver City.
Anyway, after around 9:45 or so Read Yellow finally went on. I had heard a few tracks prior to this show and they were pretty good. They sorta reminded me of a more punk rock version of Bear Vs. Shark. When they kicked off the first song I immediately noticed how the sound system at UP kinda sucks balls. Despite that Read Yellow has some really killer energy.
The singer was all over the place including the crowd. At one point he kneels down on the floor screams into the mic and then drives the top of his head into some random dudes crotch - poor bastard. It was unfortunate that the crowd wasn't being more active. Read Yellow is a good band but they have that hardcore/punk spirit where the crowd HAS to take part or the show sucks. This is not good when your audience is mostly indie hipsters - they don't like to move much.
The singer was trying his damndest to get people motivated but it just never really happened. The crowd seemed to be digging the tunes but not enough for dancing. The band is really good and would have benefited from playing with artists of a more similar sound. Overall I really dug Read Yellow.
After Read Yellow and a couple more beers The Art Of Shooting took the stage. The band is composed of two broads and a guy on drums. The girls are average at best but the strength of the band is the drummer. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this dude was phenomenal. Easily one of the best drummers I've seen. His hands were so fast you could only see trails. He was doing these crazy cross overs at insane speeds.
They played a couple of songs which I had heard before at various parties around town. They have some really good songs but they sound better on tape. The girls just weren't very good to be honest. To be fair though it wasn't bad either and the drummer makes it totally worth the price of admission.
Next up on the bill was Forget Cassettes. At this time I realized I had no room left on the camera so I have no pics of the cute singer chick. Again I'm not super familiar with Forget Cassettes but I have heard a few tracks here and there. I was looking forward to seeing them just because of the buzz I've been hearing about the band.
Forget Cassettes are a good band and they have some cool tunes. I really enjoyed the set they played but it wasn't great. The singer had a really strong voice and a really short skirt, which is an excellent combo. I would definitely catch this band again if they come around.
After Forget Cassettes played it was fairly late. I think they were nearly an hour behind schedule at this point. I really wanted to see Detachment Kit so I hung in there despite really wanting to leave. I really haven't heard much songwise from them but I've heard plenty hype wise. As they started to set up the crowd size damn near doubled. They went into the first song and everyone started singing along.
Finally a response out of the crowd! I only managed to last about three songs before I took off. I want to be clear that it had nothing to do with the band. They were actually really good and I was enjoying them but I had to leave. The three or so songs I did hear were pretty awesome and I will make sure I catch them next time they play. Overall this was a good show, for once none of the bands sucked!
Read Yellow
The Art Of Shooting
Link: Related post with MP3's
