Pilcrow

Last Friday (April 11) I went to El Corazón to see My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. Originally Beehive were on the bill, so that was really who I was going to see, but unfortunately they had to cancel; I decided to go anyhow, as I know and enjoy at least one Thrill Kill Kult song ("Glamour Is a Rocky Road") and I was curious to see what the show would be like. Also on the bill were local bands Miss Solar System and Furniture Girls, and the Urban Bombshells burlesque troupe performed between the musical acts.

I don't have much to say about the opening acts. I came in late and missed much of Furniture Girls' set. This is the third time I've seen them in almost as many months, and they remain moderately entertaining but not really interesting to me. Perhaps next year they'll have developed further. I did think their music was a bit light for the bill, but they were the last-minute replacements for Beehive so that's excusable. As for Miss Solar System, they've added a drummer to their live lineup since I saw them last year, but since their music is already rhythm-heavy drum & bass, it's more for color than anything else. The music was pretty solid, but not really remarkable - I enjoyed it, but nothing really stood out for me. Like Furniture Girls, I'd like to see more growth from Miss Solar System; I feel like they could be more exciting than they have been.

The Urban Bombshells were also much less interesting than I expected. They performed three or four routines between each musical act. With one exception involving popping balloons, they did not perform stripteases, just themed dance numbers involving scantily-clad women, and the dancing (and striptease) was really more just prancing about in a vaguely enticing manner. One routine involving a maiden menaced by an evil priestess of sorts and her minions involved a lot of flailing about on or near the stage floor, so most of it was only visible to the front row of the audience. The Urban Bombshells could have been a fun addition to the show, but I ended up feeling I'd rather have seen another band on the lineup.

My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult are the duo of Groovie Mann (vocals) and Buzz McCoy (synths, backing vocals). Appearing with another synth player (throughout the show) and a female vocalist (on most songs), they played a mix of heavy dance music influenced by industrial rock, goth rock, surf rock, and even disco. Both the style and substance of the music evoke exploitation films of the Sixties, reveling in sex, drugs, rock and roll, and a little flirting with Satanism on the side. As a show, it was tamer than I expected, particularly for a twentieth-anniversary tour; there were no dancing girls or other theatrics, just video clips running on the curtain behind the band. However, that did put the focus on the music, which was plenty of entertainment in itself. Although they didn't play "Glamour..." as I hoped they would, they did play many early tracks including the hits "Kooler Than Jesus", "Sex on Wheelz", and "The Days of Swine and Roses". Thrill Kill Kult got me bopping and dancing about, and made up for the lackluster earlier groups. They brought the fun to the show, and I'm glad I went.

Only six photos from this show, three of Thrill Kill Kult, one each of the other bands and of an Urban Bombshells dancer; the photos start here.

In December, I planned to attend a Beehive show but missed out due to being ill. Fortunately, Beehive have been busily scheduling shows, so last Wednesday night I was able to catch them at Nectar Lounge for my first show this month. Also on the bill was Furniture Girls and SXY; however, SXY cancelled and their place was taken by a musician named Aaron Daniels.

I arrived late at Nectar and walked in about halfway through Aaron Daniels' second-to-last song. Daniels was onstage with a couple microphones and no instruments; he used one microphone to sample himself beatboxing for backing vocals, and sang into the other. He reminded me of Reggie Watts, singing in a mixed style of soul and hiphop. Although I heard only a song and a half, he sounded pretty good and I wish I'd been on time for his whole set.

Furniture Girls performed as a quintet: the original "Furniture Girls" duo on lead vocals and backing vocals/samples, and a backing band of guitar, bass, and drums. Their music mixed funk and rock styles to produce a groovy, dance-oriented pop sound. The lead singer's strong voice was not matched by her backing vocalist, and sometimes the latter's part was hard to make out. This problem was brought into relief when they invited a friend called Mia up onstage to sing an additional part; Mia's own strong voice made a striking counterpoint to the lead singer, and the song sounded much more impressive for it. Overall the band sounded pretty good and were enjoyable, but didn't leave me eager to hear more.

( Furniture Girls photo )

Beehive, the duo of Alethea Eichhorn (laptops, keyboards, and vocals) and David Miller (electric and slide guitars, and vocals), brought a little sunshine to the cold grey winter night with their infectious mix of rock and breakbeat electronica. Large yellow paper flowers bedecked the stage, setting the scene for Beehive's bouncy beats and rocking riffs. They played a slightly longer than usual set, getting in a full hour of music, and that allowed them to play around with extended improvised sections on a few songs. The audience hung back through most of the set, but by the end they were more than willing to oblige when David demanded that everyone move up front and dance. Beehive seemed slightly unprepared for the extra time, as they chose to repeat "Better Than Lies" for their finale, but it was clear they wanted a song to make people dance and it worked. Their set was solid overall and the crowd enjoyed it. As always, I recommend catching Beehive whenever you can; their love of music and delight in performing make every show worthwhile.

( Beehive photo )

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Beehive are playing two more shows this month: Friday the 25th at Studio Seven as part of the Supernova "Out of the Garage" band competition series, and Thursday the 31st at The Comet Tavern. I'm not sure if I'll make it to the former show, but I know I've already got other plans for the latter one: also on Thursday the 31st, Black Mountain and Yeasayer will be rocking Neumos, along with MGMT. Looking ahead to February, the upcoming show I'm most excited about is the CD release party for Mono In VCF at The Triple Door on Saturday the 9th. Also in February, Editors are headlining The Showbox on Monday the 4th, while DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, with Kid Koala, are at The Showbox on Sunday the 10th. I don't know about these shows: I'd rather see Editors at a smaller venue (and wish I hadn't missed them last time they were in town and played Chop Suey); and although I expect the DJ Shadow show will be amazing, it's also expensive for me ($30 + fees) and it'll be completely packed (I'm a bit surprised it's not already sold out). I guess I'll see how I feel about it next week.