Le Tigre—Cat’s Cradle, Feb. 23
Feminist pop artists, Le Tigre, will rock you with their cheesy choreography, outrageous outfits and high-pitched excitement. Their danceable electronica stormed through the indie scene, and now they're ready to take on the rest of the world armed with only a drum machine, a guitar, a megaphone and two video screens for your viewing pleasure.
The three members of the band—Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman, and JD Samson—all share musical responsibilities, taking turns singing lead vocals, playing guitar and triggering samples from their drum pad.
For Le Tigre, music is a form of political expression. While their sound is lighthearted and jocular, their lyrical protests against sexual abuse and President George W. Bush, among other targets, are provocative. And while they've toned down the political rhetoric for their major-label release This Island, their new wave beats should be just as rowdy next Wednesday night. Who knows? You might even learn a thing or two about the feminist movement.
Secret Machines—Cat’s Cradle, Feb. 28
With all the ‘80s revival bands cropping up these days, old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll has lost its status as the “it genre.” The Secret Machines, however, have made it their responsibility to bring rock back into the spotlight.
Compared by many critics to groups like Pink Floyd and The Band, the Secret Machines are not afraid to push their sound to the limit. Named “the city's best live band” by the New York Press, the group’s psychedelic guitar riffs have enough distortion to give you goosebumps.
The band’s sound is so immense that the Secret Machines had difficulty capturing it when they recorded their latest album, Now Here is Nowhere. In fact, don't expect the tracks from Nowhere to sound the same when performed live. All three band members take turns improvising on drums, keyboard and guitar, making each show different from the next.
Interpol—Disco Rodeo, Feb. 27
Interpol’s live performances burst with a force that is missing from their sometimes hollow albums. During last summer’s Curiosa Festival in Toronto, Interpol's rock-music-that-actually-rocks style forced fans who were waiting to see The Cure to enjoy music without weeping. Appearing on stage in matching black suits, the members of Interpol exude a dark, debonair flair.
The band’s dramatic nature is further revealed through Daniel Kessler’s Johnny Ramone-ian viscous, down-stroke guitar work and Sam Fogarino’s merciless drumming. Unlike a few too many artists in the technological age, Paul Banks’ vocals do not suffer when sung live, and even gain a sense of urgency.
The crescendo of Interpol’s performance that night came at a caesura in “PDA,” as the band held the audience in suspense like a conductor holding his baton aloft before the final act of a Beethoven symphony. If Interpol can rock a pavilion full of Goth kids anxiously awaiting their idol, the band’s performance in front of their own fans should not be missed.
Jett Rink—Local 506, Feb. 18
They know how to rock and roll using hot keyboard riffs and an abnormally tall lead singer. If you’re in the dark, we're talking about recording artist Jett Rink, the only local band that plays rockin’ 80s punk with a heavy helping of synth-pop. With their dance-y beats and blaring synthesizers, the only thing you can do at their concerts is dance like there's no tomorrow.
Hailing from our majestic little town of Durham, Jett Rink makes you yearn for the music that defined the years you only knew as a wee tot. If for some absolutely unexcusable reason you miss their performance at Local 506 with Asobi Seksu, don't let it get you down; they'll be back in a couple of months to play at Duke’s own Coffeehouse.
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