Liars and No Age at El Rey 2/22
My concert partner-in-crime Angie and I went to see them and opener No Age at the El Rey this past Friday. She had never listened to either band, and I’m a huge huge fan of the Liars.
I didn’t catch the name of the band who warmed up the crowd, but they were the standard LA freak-noise hardcore homage band that populate the Downtown all-ages scene. Then No Age came on, and they were great. They have the vibe of those late 80s or early 90s indie bands. Sorta like Dinosaur, Butthole Surfers, Big Black and the like. Very fun set.
As for the Liars, well they just blew me away. This was my first time seeing them live, and they just crushed every song. Even though lead singer Angus Andrew’s back exploded in January, he still had the energy despite sitting on chairs through most of the set.
The highlight of the set for me was when they played “We Fenced Other Houses with Bones of Our Own” from They Were Wrong So We Drowned. Although some people people hated the album, I thought it was a brilliant piece that successfully straddled the line between experimentation and pop. Plus it’s a concept album about witches. How brilliant is that?
Overall, the show was an exorcism of our collective laziness complete with the trance-inducing drums and falsetto chants. It whipped us all into a frenzy and put a smile on everyone’s face. Every beat had a life unto itself, and we were all there helpless just riding that rollercoaster.
It was a goddamn fun show, and you’ll see me there next time when the Liars come to town.