Live Review: The Dead Weather

The Dead Weather
The Fillmore
4.15.10
San Francisco, CA

There are shows, and then there are shows. The Dead Weather Thursday night was a show. In fact it was a fucking show - it was that good. Having missed them last summer at Outside Lands, our crew was eager to hear the dirty, skuzz rock blues of their debut album Horehound at full amplification. The band did not disappoint, and even played a handful of new songs from the upcoming Sea of Cowards album coming out on May 11^th.

Frontwoman Alison Mosshart is a force to be reckoned with as she stalked the stage with a vengeance, brimming with confidence. This is saying something considering she is prowling the same stage with Jack White, who has the ability to quickly overshadow musicians who share the stage with him. Keyboardist/guitarist Dean Fertita and Bassist Jack Lawerence more than held their own as well. In fact, I’ll go on record and say this is the first band I’ve seen Jack White in that is truly the sum of its parts. 

And in my best Jeff Spicoli voice, I’ll say this band slays live bro.

With a dimly lit stage, the band let the music do the talking and the songs pretty much cold-cocked the crowd. Beginning with the scrapes of White’s drum sticks along the rim of his snare drum, the band let off a few warning shots with the loud/soft dynamics of “60 Feet Tall” and let the amp buzz build the rest of the night. The new songs are even heavier and darker, particularly “Die by the Drop”, “Hussle and Cuss” and “Blue Blood Blues”.

A solid year of touring has sharpened the band musically. Jack White played some thunderous drum rolls while Dean Fertita peeled off sick guitar riff after sick guitar riff from his white hollow body Falcon. Mosshart is the femme fatale, luring you in seductively and then ripping your heart out of your rib cage with her bare hands.

Easily the show of the year and we aren’t even halfway through 2010. 

Setlist:

60 ft tall
Hang you from the heavens
You Just Can’t Win
So Far From Your Weapon
No Horse
Child of a Few Hours
Die By the Drop
Blue Blood Blues
I Can’t Hear  You

Hussle and Cuss

Rocking Horse
Will There Be Enough Water

-Encore-
I Cut Like a Buffalo
New Pony
Treat Me Like Your Mother

Live Review: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
03.09.10
Slims
San Francisco, CA


In four years a lot can change: Four years ago I lived in San Diego. That evil fuckhead George W. Bush was our President, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were touring in support of their album Baby 81 with original drummer Nick Jago.

Four years later I live in the Bay Area. Those dumb fucks in Washington are doing their best to do nothing about our ailing country, and BRMC are touring in support of their excellent new album Beat the Devil's Tattoo with new drummer Leah Shapiro.

Some things stay the same: I'm still trying to kill my hearing by going to all these concerts, and BRMC still kicks major ass live. Returning to their hometown Tuesday night, the band strutted on stage, plugged in and attacked the crowd with the blues bomb of new song "War Machine". Bassist/vocalist Robert Levon Been slashed away at his bass guitar as if trying to wrestle state secrets from it while guitarist/vocalist Peter Hayes sprayed waves of feedback over the crowd.

The show had indeed begun.

With Beat the Devil's Tattoo released the same day as the show, BRMC didn't shy away from playing a majority of the cuts off the new album. Standouts included the title cut (complete with some great vocals harmonies from the band), rockers "Conscience Killer" and "Mama Taught Me Better", the Brit Pop of "Bad Blood" and the psychedelic-slide menace of "River Styx".

With over five album worth of material to choose from, BRMC did a solid job of touching all corners of their musical career: the rootsier HOWL cuts like "Shuffle Your Feet" and "Ain't No Easy Way" were show highlights, and the band went back to their first album for a healthy dose of classics like "Spread Your Love", "Rifles"and "Punk Song".

All these years slugging it out on the road has chiseled the band into a tight live unit. The band jammed out several tunes, including "Six Barrel Shotgun" to the point where the original song was almost forgotten. New drummer Leah Shapiro more than held her own behind the kit, hitting harder on hypnotic tracks like "Red Eyes and Tears" and "666 Conducer" and adding backing vocal harmonies where appropriate on the acoustic/piano songs.

As members of the garage rock class of 2000, BRMC might not have hit the commercial paydirt like classmates The Strokes, The White Stripes and now Kings of Leon have in recent years, but the band has maintained its vision and musical integrity while carving out a devoted fanbase. With a solid new album out and a world tour just beginning perhaps it's BRMC's time to shine.

Athens, GA band The Whigs opened the show. I only caught the last 4 songs, but they were enjoyable and reminded me of Crazy Horse if Crazy Horse were a trio of 28 year olds trying to make their amps explode.