 |
|
  The true highlight
of the week, though, was getting a chance to get out a few nights to
see my friends from Denver (who also double as my favorite band, Planes Mistaken for Stars).
The band did a headlining gig last Wednesday at Mac’s Bar in Lansing,
and even though PMFS was playing Detroit the next night, I decided to
head out to Mac’s just for shits and giggles. I honestly thought I’d regret the decision, but due to the fact that this was probably the best sounding venue I’ve ever seen the band play (and also the fact that I managed to remain somewhat sober for most of the night), I’m really glad I took the mini-road trip (even if it was a mid-week jaunt to a late night bar show). Opening act The Violence Sequence was tight as hell, sounding like some distant, slightly more melodic cousin of both Helmet and The Melvins. Most of the band’s set was loud and growling, though the last song saw the three-piece slowing things down to a dirty throb that served as the strongest track of the set. I have to admit that Spit for Athena and Bear vs. Shark played as well, though neither of them lived up to the hype they were given to me beforehand. Three-piece Spit for Athena had sort of a dirty version of The Pixies vibe going for it, thought the songs ran together all to easily. I was expecting something very different from Bear vs. Shark, but what I got was a technically proficient, very professional band that sounded great; I must admit, though, that after two songs of the set, the songwriting seemed to lose some of its initially impressive luster, leaving me to wonder if I just happened to catch the band on a bad night or something. Washington, D.C.’s Decahedron did put on a most impressive display of intensity on stage, courtesy of the absolutely possessed drumming style of Jason Hamacher. Jonathan Ford’s basswork was more than ample backing to support resident stage lunatic Shelby Cinca’s inspired and mostly frenzied guitar playing and singing (which quickly turned to yelling and downright justified preaching during the frantic closing of the band’s closer, “Delete False Culture”). Most of the band’s material fell just slightly left of ‘center’ in the traditional rock sense, as Cinca’s frazzled guitar playing led the band through rhythms that were just mathematical enough to make an audience think a bit to keep up with things. While this gig didn’t quite top seeing The Woggles four days earlier, I have to admit that even as a huge fan of the band, I still can’t find enough good things to say about the set put on by Denver, Colorado’s Planes Mistaken for Stars. When the band launched into the angry flurry of “Glassing” two songs in, it was no surprise that half the crowd was screaming along with the closing coda of, “We’re all getting fucked now,” even though the band’s latest album featuring the track (Up in Them Guts) technically hadn’t been released yet due to a few last minute artwork issues. “Dancing on the Face of the Panther” proved to be the set’s best anchor, rolling from an upbeat rocker to a deliberate drone within four minutes, while an aggressive version of “Pigs” languished in it’s own filth live. The band’s one-two punch came with the set’s conclusion, though, as the band whipped out a passionate version of Up in Them Guts’ demented love song, “Say Not a Word” (in frontman Gared O’Donnell’s own words, “This is a song about fucking”). Amusingly, O’Donnell tossed in a quip of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” during the song’s bridge, and the track’s resurgence led into an unexpected performance of a heavied-up version the not-oft heard “Copper and Stars” from the band’s debut EP. By this point, everyone that filed towards the door at Mac’s was basically a sweaty mess, and for good reason. - Gary Blackwell *photo: www.pmfs.com |
|
 © 2004 motorcityrocks.com :: all rights reserved |
|