The Unsacred Hearts and Levy @ Sin-é, 22 June 2006

Last night, somewhere deep in NYC, I finally made it out to the Crackers United party known as Friction. Yeah, only took me like months to do so. What was the draw this time? Well, for most people it was Levy and The Big Sleep (who I didn't get to see because I had to leave but I heard they were great). For me, it was a chance to see The Unsacred Hearts live at last.

The Unsacred Hearts
I only just started listening to The Unsacred Hearts in March. Back then, I mentioned how stupid and lazy I was about getting into their music. You'd do yourself quite a favor to not make the same mistakes as me. See, I've had their new album In Defense of Fort Useless (buy HERE) for a little over a month now and I'm finding myself liking it more and more with each listen. The album has raw power like The Stooges, a bit of a country-punk nod to bourbon in a few songs, and NYC bravado like The Ramones. Live, they were everything I could have wanted and more. It was the sound of four guys reminding New York what it means to have a blast playing rock/punk-rock. Their show, a virtual auditory viagra for the flaccid fans I've come to expect at NYC club shows. Absent were 'cool' people with arms folded, and a serious look on their face, and in their place was an audience rocking out to The Unsacred Hearts and their guest singers, the lovely Hardtogettes.

Listen:
"Somewhere Deep In NYC"

Visit The Unsacred Hearts on MySpace.

Levy
Sorry. Sorry about this picture. I'd like to say that I was being creative here and trying to show those of you who didn't consume multiple free Sparks just what it looked like once you had, but that's not the case. No, I happened to step outside after The Unsacred Hearts and when I came back inside, the whole world was there to see Levy and I was stuck far off in the back of the room. My goodness there were lots of people up in thurr. I mean, I'd heard a few Levy songs before, knew of the video (below) they did, but I had no idea they were so well liked by so many people. Given the sharp blend of Brit-pop and '90s alternative I can see why they've built themselves a nice fanbase. Supposedly they played mostly new songs last night and the tunes seemed to go over well with the audience. They were catchy and melodic and the kind of material that should easily grab them more attention as their reach expands beyond NYC and into the hearts of the rest of America.

Listen:
"In The Woods"

Watch:
"On The Dance Floor"

Visit Levy on MySpace.

More pictures from last night HERE.