On Friday, May 17, Anno Domini 2013, my son Rhombus and I ventured to Motorco Music Hall in Durham, NC for a show featuring the bands noted above. By the end of the night we felt lucky – we were 3 for 3 with good performances.
First up was local Durham band Pink Flag. According to information they have posted, they are named after the first Wire album. Lead singer Betsy Shane announced at the beginning of their set that they were going to entertain us for 36 minutes, and indeed they did. Actually I can’t vouch for the exact time, only for the entertainment.
While I felt I could hear some Pink Flag-era Wire influences – minimal solos, catchy tunes and songs that don’t overstay their welcome – I would not say they sounded like Wire. Pink Flag’s sound has a more upbeat and pop-influenced sound. The band seemed to be having lots of fun and that carried out into the audience.
Next up was Brooklyn’s So So Glos. I was excited to see them as they seem to have some national momentum building since the release of their recent record “Blowout,” including a Letterman appearance and even a good review on Pitchfork.
In any case, they were a blast of pure rock/punk energy. Lots of great songs with terrace chant choruses. And aside from the music they know how to put on a show (interacting with the crowd, changing hats…maybe you had to be there for the hats…) which made it even more entertaining. I had to laugh at one point as singer and bass player Alex Levine got the people up front who were jumping and dancing throughout their set organized into a nice big circling mosh pit for one song. Old school, baby!
Headliners were, of course, Titus Andronicus. They performed for over two hours and time just flew by. Overall it was a great show, although it was slightly marred by one incident.
Titus is a really solid band and worked through a lot of their catalogue. Lead singer Patrick Stickles does most of the talking on stage and is very compelling. He strikes me as someone who doesn’t hold back, whether it’s sharing whatever is on his mind between songs or totally immersing himself in the music. He’s one of those performers who seems like he’s existing in a slightly different dimension than the rest of us when he’s on stage. He is supported by a group of great musicians who really add a lot to the texture of the music. I can’t recommend enough that you should see them if you have the chance.
So what was the incident? Well, toward the end of the night Patrick went into the audience with his microphone during one of the songs. Afterwards, back on stage, he was clearly upset as apparently during the song someone had grabbed him in “the bathing suit area” (as he described it at one point). Not cool, to say the least. It’s a real shame that one idiot can impact the band and the show in such a negative way. (Patrick was still venting about it on Twitter after the show.) After discussing what happened and calling out the culprit, he left the stage. We weren’t sure what to expect, but he came back soon and the band soldiered on, performing a rousing rendition of “Titus Andronicus Forever.” While the incident was a bit of a buzz-kill for both the band and audience, this song seemed to get the show a bit back on track.
Titus (including a very thin Patrick in what I would describe as anti-Rollins mode, stripped down to just athletic shorts) was then joined on stage by So So Glos and they played several classics, including “I Love Rock N’ Roll,” “I Wanna Be Sedated,” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.” It felt like the show turned into a fun house party and was a good way to round out the evening.
