Tapes 'n Tapes, Figurines, and Cold War Kids @ Bowery Ballroom, 4 June 2006

Originally, I got tickets to see Tapes 'n Tapes on Tuesday, the 6th, but then I heard that my mates would be going to the Sunday night show and that another friend was going to throw a kick ass party on Tuesday. The decision was simple: trade tickets so as to go to the show on Sunday night and then go be a DJ on Tuesday.

Hearing about how good Cold War Kids have already been on this tour prompted a pretty good turn out for their opening slot (we got there super duper early at like 7:40pm) but all the talk about them might've been a bit too much of a build up. No real surprise though, as you have to almost expect something that's been hyped up to fall short of expectations. Was this band the greatest band, like, EVER? No. Did they probably benefit from all of the hype Tapes 'n Tapes has gotten in the past eight months and thus surprise people at the few shows they've played so far on this tour? Definitely. But none of that is to say that Cold War Kids isn't an excellent live band full of maximum energy and stage presence. There's good stuff in store for these guys as they grow into themselves, and their sound, and learn the nuances of letting the songs speak for themselves. I think Jonathan was on point when he suggested that they could benefit from taking their collective foot off of the gas pedal from time to time but the way Cold War Kids drew a line in the sand last night and just attacked the shit out of the show was anything but bad.

Listen:
"Hospital Beds"

Visit Cold War Kids on MySpace

Figurines were up next. They didn't get a fair chance from me, and the people I was with, at all. As soon as CWK were done we headed downstairs to have many drinks and make fun conversation. We could hear the band starting but nothing was to deter us from our mission. Sorry about that Figurines. Maybe next time? Hey, not everyone is perfect. It's not you, it's me. I swear I'll give you a call soon. Yeah...all that and then some. But the one song I did hear was good. I think. Hey, at least this song I found of theirs sounds nice in MP3 form. Plus, they've got a bunch of videos you can watch on their site. That's always nice.

Listen:
"The Wonder"

Visit Figurines on MySpace

Tapes 'n Tapes. Hipsters 'n hype. Cool songs 'n people too cool to dance to them. Kick ass songs 'n having no choice but to thrash around to the sweet sweet music. Using a band's name gimmick as framework for a review 'n being lazy. I could go on 'n on but I won't. By the way, those are all the first things that come to mind when I think about the show last night. That and the fact that I called out for "50s parking" (too much time spent not watching Figurines you see). They didn't listen when I asked to hear it last time I saw them and I knew they weren't going to play it this time but I had to try. The only other track not on The Loon that I recognized last night was the outstanding "Icedbergs".

All in all, they put on a great show. Clearly the band has benefited from all of the touring they've done in the past six months but that special something just wasn't there last night. Now, that's not a bad thing. It just wasn't the musical explosion I'd hoped for. Still, a solid 8/10 in my mind. New member Erik did a fine job on bass (and in the midst of a strap malfuction too) but maybe it's just that I miss Shawn. Regardless, I think you guys that got tickets for the show here in NYC tomorrow night are in for a good one.

Listen:
"50s parking"

Visit Tapes 'n Tapes on MySpace

UPDATE - NYTimes reviews the show