Doors 7:30. Show 8:30pm.
I know what you’re thinking. A band of middle-aged former math-rock guys. Nerds, right? Maybe, but who cares? If you’ve heard Battles, you know that theirs is a sound that is intoxicating. They are a rock group locked in conflict with the very limitations of what it means to be a rock group: conducting an all out assault on mediocrity and waging a fearsome campaign against genre conventions and pigeonholes. Their sound is that of an elite guard engaging in a series of complex sonic skirmishes. This is the sublime noise of equally talented musicians pushed to their limit – as interested in conducting synchronized audio attacks and ambushes on the listener as they are on each other.
According to Brian Eno, “When you see a band you really like, the reason you really like them is because you wish you’d had that idea. And when I saw Battles I thought, “Damn! Why didn’t I think of that?” Whether you’ve listened to Battles and fallen for them on your own, follow the advice of Eno, or you just really like what Battles did with ice cream in that one music video, this show is not to be missed. Seriously.
The Duke Spirit are crossing the pond to bring you a taste of English rock! Blessed with their alluring frontwoman, Liela Moss, the band embraces the energy of 80s UK indie and northern soul delivered with unbridled sass. Somehow, the band has remained under the radar, having surfaced in 2005 alongside more widely celebrated band, the Kills. With the release of their third album, Bruiser, the band lets you know that they mean business and they won’t settle for standing in anyone’s wake. If your ears are ready for attention grabbing noise-pop, get out to this show!
Joining them this evening and bringing a little Southern charm will be Texas band, Hacienda, whose demo caught the ears of the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, who encouraged the band to continue recording, eventually inviting them to Akron to record their first full-length in 2008. The band released a second album in 2010, also produced by Auerbach, that offers you just as much fire as the first.