popwreckoning

2010 just might be the year female English singers break through big in America. Just like electropop goddesses La Roux and Little Boots, (Vanessa) VV Brown is already a major deal at home in England. But she’s cut from a slightly different cloth. Originally from Northampton, the 5-foot, 11-inch tall songstress is a model (recently scoring an advertising deal with UK supermarket chain Marks and Spencer) and has her own online vintage clothing store, in addition to being a successful songwriter not only for her own music but for other artists as well. Friday night Brown played to a packed club during Liberation Dance Party at Washington’s DC9. D.C. was just one of four stops on her first-ever headlining tour of America.

One of my picks for best bet in town, Liberation Dance Party goes on at DC9 every Friday night. I love it because Bill Spieler, the DJ / compère, does his research and always spins great dance, pop, and electronic tracks, mostly stuff I know well and mostly English. Right up my alley. Here’s a short list to give you an idea of what kind of music they played:

Editors – “Papillon”
the Drums - “I Feel Stupid”
Ellie Goulding – “Under the Sheets”
Friendly Fires – “Hold On” (Holy Ghost! cover)
Delphic – “Halcyon”
the Courteeners - “You Overdid It Doll”
Marina and the Diamonds - “Hollywood”
Florence and the Machine - “You’ve Got the Love” (the Source / Candi Staton cover)
Passion Pit - “Sleepyhead”
Ladyhawke – “Magic”

Brown and her three-piece band arrived on stage to loud, appreciative cheering. Her headgear should have been my first clue that this show was going to be as crazy as a Mardi Gras celebration, just 3 days late. I was a bit disappointed that her trademark retro hairdo and most of her face was obscured by a red, glittery, feathered headdress. But this was just part of the VV Brown spectacle. During her less than 40-minute set, she played most of the songs off her debut album released last year in the UK, Travelling Like the Light, written about a failed relationship.

She has excellent stage presence, giving insight into her songs, and effectively pumping up the crowd. Brown described one of her major hits, “Crying Blood,” as “the first song I ever wrote, the first song I ever released on 7″, the first song I ever wrote on a one-string guitar.” This is a good example of her music, with Brown’s punchy vocals, driving drums, and an overall infectious retro sound that mixes elements of pop and soul. After playing this, she talked about her background – her mother is Jamaican, and her father is Puerto Rican – and in honor of her heritage did a shortened version of the song in a reggae style, encouraging everyone in the club to raise their hands in the air and sway along to the island beat. “Back in Time,” a song about love and time travel, was prefaced with Brown’s cheeky insistence, “I would date Albert Einstein if I could.”

The most surprising moment of the night? Brown asking the audience, “Do you like hip hop? Can I do a cover of Drake‘s ‘Best I Ever Had’? Will you all go fuckin’ crazy?” What kind of questions are those for a D.C audience? Of course the crowd went crazy as she launched into her take of the Drake hit. The best moment of the night? Hands down it was “Shark in the Water,” the whole crowd bouncing to the rhythm and singing along to the fun chorus of the unconventional poppy love song. The smile on Brown’s face made me melt. Check out this live performance of the song on ITV’s “This Morning” show from last year.

After Brown and company left the stage, Spieler reappeared, encouraging us to make some noise for Brown and her band. The crowd’s efforts at hooting and hollering worked; they returned for a one-song encore to play what Brown admitted was a complete improvisation. (I really don’t think she was expecting this kind of reception in D.C. at all and looked sincerely touched by the adulation.) But it didn’t matter: with all arms waving in the air and gig goers shouting back lyrics to Brown, it was clear she had already won over the crowd with her animated live act.

It was sheer magic to witness the realization of a dream for the young woman standing before us. Years ago she wrote songs, alone in her bedroom, hoping for success one day. The audience’s excitement was not lost on Brown, who after the show Tweeted, “this was an absolutley [sic] fuckin unbelievable gig !!! sold out gig, absolutley [sic] amazing !! Im totally on a high !!! big time !!!!” And I agree. If Friday’s show was any indication, Brown is ready to take on the world.

VV Brown has another headlining date at the Great Scott in Allston, Massachusetts, on Monday before going on tour as a supporting act for Swedish electronic band Little Dragon starting in March. If you can’t see her live on this go-around, no worries, you’ll be able to see Brown on the small screen in the near future: she announced at the DC9 show that she and her band will be appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and the Late Show with David Letterman soon.

Tour Dates:
Feb 22 – Great Scott / Allston, MA
Mar 22 – Rapture / Charlottesville, VA*
Mar 25 – Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn*
Apr 01 – Lincoln Hall / Chicago*
Apr 04 – Walnut Lounge / Denver*
Apr 05 – Urban Lounge / Salt Lake City*
Apr 09 – Nectar Lounge / Seattle*
Apr 11 – Wild Buffalo / Bellingham, WA*
Apr 12 – Mississippi Studios / Portland*
Apr 13-14 - Independent / San Francisco*
* supporting Little Dragon

As much of a twat Perez Hilton is, he puts together a rad tour. Yes, I just said rad.

Rad is common slang of the 80s, and last night made me feel like I’d jumped back into the 80s, with the tweaky intros Perez put together and the synth-heavy music all night.

Well, Semi-Precious Weapons weren’t synth-heavy, based on lead singer Justin Tranter’s outfits, one could see why I felt like I was in 1986. I hadn’t heard much of them before last night, and I was pleasantly surprised how much fun I had. They were great openers, bringing the room’s energy up to the highest degree at most points during their set, especially during Tranter’s banter between songs. He swore profusely, and at one point, he shouted “c*nt!” multiple times, because he said he “couldn’t give up saying it.” And of course when he changed his clothes on stage. From one pair of tights and crazy heels to another pair of tights and crazy heels. As my friend Laura said, “His junk was everywhere,” when he was changing the tights.

It was quite an eyeful. But the music wasn’t bad. It was like heavy 80s glam rock with hints of Chris Crocker (you know, the “leave Britney alone!” guy? That’s what he kinda looked like). My favorite track was “Magnetic Baby,” and it was one of the best received, with Tranter almost throwing himself into the crowd to get people to shout into the mic. The guitarist was pretty wicked, and the bassist was ridiculously spazmatic, scraping his bass against most of the hard surfaces on stage to get a intense sound. He also held out the neck of the bass to the crowd for fans to play the bass for a bit. The mixture of their energy – from the hardcore punky bassist and the glamtastic Tranter – made for an interesting live show. I didn’t know any of the music beforehand, and most of the crowd wasn’t there to see Semi-Precious Weapons, so it wasn’t nearly as energetic had they been the headliners. But it was a good way to get the crowd going though, as a majority of the people at the show was there to see Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head.

They are Seattleites, after all.

And they were technically the reason I drove down to Seattle last night to stand in line, not knowing if I would get in. Ida Maria was originally on the tour, but she canceled last week due to an illness. So Perez, being the master of connections that he is – hit up one of his favorite new bands Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head to fill in for the remainder of the tour starting in Chicago. Before they joined the tour, I contemplated going to the show because of Ladyhawke, but at that point, she was the only reason I would go. But after NPSH joined the tour, I was all over that.

But I will say right now, a friend of mine told me after Bumbershoot that NPSH was way better in smaller venues and that they sucked at Bumbershoot. Now, I don’t agree with the latter statement, but I will verify the first statement. They are SO much better in small clubs. But then again, most bands are. Intimate stages always make everything better. They started out “Slow Motion Tag Team,” one of my favorites, and after that, they kept the dance party going.

I don’t know what it would be like to see NPSH in another state, but at this point I’m glad I’m from Seattle, because undoubtedly NPSH has some of the best fans around – especially in their hometown. They even referenced some classic Seattle figures. “We see a Mariners hat, a Seahawks hat, a Nirvana shirt… but there’s another Seattle fashion staple,” and Claire England started to put her hair in a side ponytail and we all know where that was going – next song, “Sophisticated Side Ponytail.”

There was this guy standing behind us – I’ll call him Plaid Guy – but he was hilarious. When NPSH were setting up their instruments, he kept shouting at Luke, “Shaun [Libman]! Shaun!” I tapped him and was like, “I’m pretty sure that’s Luke [Smith].” Then he felt all stupid and said, “that’s why he’s not listening to us!” Apparently, Plaid Guy REALLY wanted them to play “Bedroom Costume,” which wasn’t on the setlist that had already been taped to the floor. So when Claire came out to set up her synth, Plaid Guy yelled, “put a synth here!” And when Claire put her synth right in front of us, he thanked her profusely and was all “I love you!” And almost demanded they play “Bedroom Costume.” And lo and behold, the third song in, Shaun prefaces the song with, “we’re gonna play this one for those guys over there.” And Plaid Guy went apeshit crazy.

But the best part was during “Beard Lust,” Shaun said something like “are you guys ready to dance? This guy looks ready!” And they asked people to jump up on stage for a dance off. Or just a big fat dance party. I didn’t feel like tripping over things, and my feet were slightly achey, plus, this way I could get pictures of the dance party.

Yeah, it was pretty sweet.

After they finished “Iceage Babeland,” I was beat. My feet hurt, I was hungry, I was thirsty. I would have been satisfied going home right then with what we’d already seen, but WAIT! We had yet to see Ladyhawke, the headliner to Perez’s synthtastic tour.

The mood overall was totally different for Ladyhawke’s set. Her band was all decked out in black, and her microphone stand was decorated with a string of Christmas lights, and there was a lack of banter or interaction with the crowd, at least at the beginning. It didn’t mean it was any less awesome. That way, we just got to witness an amazing artist at work. People were more just listening to the music and grooving to Ladyhawke’s smooth beats rather dancing their ass off. It was a great vibe, even though I knew people were tired.

The songs sounded awesome, and Ladyhawke’s crazy eyes helped. She does make some crazy eyes. Nobody really danced until she played her last two songs, “Paris is Burning” and “My Delirium.” Those were fun songs. Justin Tranter even made an effort to crowd surf during “Paris in Burning.” It didn’t work so well, him being like 6’4” and the crowd quite tiny, but he still did get in an “I love you!” to Ladyhawke before the crowd lowered him and his 6-inch heels down. Ladyhawke came around the stage to sing right to people on the left and right ends of the crowd.

She’s just so cool.

Plaid Guy grabbed the setlist that was taped to the floor in front of us too quickly for me to grab it. Oh well. She was still awesome. The crowd was quite a bit smaller for Ladyhawke, mostly because a lot of the NPSH fans had to leave because they had homeroom in the morning. It was an all ages show, after all.

But it was amazing, just the same.

Semi-Precious Weapons: website | myspace
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head: website | myspace
Ladyhawke: website | myspace

On Saturday night the 12th at the 9:30 Club, D.C. readied for a clash of two rock goddesses – New Zealander electropopper Ladyhawke and Norwegian punk rocker Ida Maria. Support for the night was provided by London electropop/remixer extraordinaire Frankmusik and New York glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons. This tour is all thanks to the organization and chutzpah of SoCal celebrity gossip “reporter” Perez Hilton. A nice Neuro rep outside the club before the show explained to me that the owner of the company is a long-time friend of Hilton’s, so when the opportunity came up to him to sponsor Hilton’s new venture, it was a no-brainer really. The pleasant Neuro reps were handing out complimentary samples of their company’s energy drinks prior to the show, ensuring no one would forget who was sponsoring the event.

We found out from Hilton’s introduction of Frankmusik that the show in D.C. that night was his first ever in America. Frankmusik is the stage name for Vincent Frank, a young Londoner who really does it all musically – he can sing, beatbox, play the piano, and write songs, and has also remixed and produced for many artists already. Amazing CV, and he’s not even 25 yet. A lit-up banner with his name announced his arrival. After a short beatboxing exhibition, he headed straight into “Time Will Tell,” which was followed by an excited fan yelling, “you’re so cool!” He grinned back at the crowd, replying in a low, sexy English accent, “I try.”

Amusingly, fans later threw glowsticks and a pair of lacy, hot pink underwear on the stage, and equally amusingly, Frank was appreciative. “3 Little Words,” a song I know and love from hearing it on BBC Radio, was fantastic live; as with the other songs, Frank gave a high octane performance, jumping up and down and getting the crowd into his music. “Better Off as 2,” another highlight, reminds of the most delicious ’80s pop I enjoyed as a kid. Based on the crowd’s delighted shouts and dancing (mostly younger than me), I think Frankmusik is making a good impression on them as well.

Set List:
Time Will Tell
When You’re Around
Gotta Boyfriend
Confusion Girl
3 Little Words
Done Done
Instep
Better Off as 2

Semi Precious Weapons were next up. Think New York Dolls but the volume and fashion taken way, way up past eleven. According to Hilton, they’re Lady Gaga‘s favorite band of the moment. Make of that what you will. Singer/front man Justin Tranter straddled the fine line between fey coyness and unapologetic crassness, strutting on the stage like a proud peacock in a cut-up Jack Daniel’s t-shirt, leggings, and stiletto boots. He would thank us for or beg us for more applause, but then later shout as us to “shut up” or say something in foul language to further work up the already worked-up crowd. With Tranter, the band comprises Stevy Pynes (guitar), Cole Whittle (bass), and Dan Crean (drums), each of the three of them displaying an almost equally flamboyant way of playing throughout their set. This could especially be said about bassist Whittle, who was wearing a Mexican poncho and manically playing his bass.

“Put a Diamond In It and Bite Down,” the most suggestive of all their songs of the night (which is not saying much because most of their songs are racy [!]), had gig-goers reaching out desperately for their Tranter, their hero. They’re the kind of band that you either love or hate. Judging back the raucous reaction from the floor, I’d say the crowd definitely loved them. And the band gave that love back: Tranter hung out and took photos with adoring fans, and Whittle, still dressed in his poncho, was dancing, on the mostly deserted floor, looking like a man possessed by the rhythm.

If you watch MTV anymore, you will have probably seen the video for Ida Maria‘s “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” because it’s kind of hard to miss the suggestive cartoon banana related to the subject of the song. In the studio recording, she adopts a shouty, punk singing style. Live, she manages this with a hint of blues reminiscent of Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant. Indeed, one of her songs, “Devil,” has the line “I’m gonna quit you baby” and even the guitar lines most excellently shredded by lead guitarist Stefan Törnby reminded me of something Jimmy Page might have played.

Admittedly, this was a very weird set delivered by Ida Maria. Although the band did have a printed-up set list, Ida made it up as she went along, pausing between songs to consult with her band mates on what to play next. Her set began with a brand-new song, “Kitchen Floor,” that Ida explained that only her parents had ever heard before, and she read the lyrics out for a black and white speckled composition book. She would refer to this book throughout the set, which made me wonder if she had forgotten the lyrics to her own songs. She recommended us to listen to Fela Kuti only “and you will be very happy.” “Oh My God,” released in late 2007 in the UK and re-released there this past January, as well as set-ender “I Like You…” were the bright spots of the night, even though she declared “I don’t believe in feminism, I believe in equality!” before the latter. A completely sober Hilton came out after Ida Maria and band had left the stage and commented, almost in an apology, that her set was “a train wreck.”

The songs of Ladyhawke (real name Phillippa “Pip” Brown) hark back to the synth-filled ’80s, when music was unabashedly simpler. Her debut album, released in Australia and the UK last year but just released here in the States, is one of my favorite albums of recent memory. Having seen her in England in May and totally loving her performance there, I was stoked to hear she was coming to America – and D.C. – to do a headlining tour.

Ladyhawke is not a girly-girl in the conventional sense; she took to the stage looking more grunge than a fashion plate, in a plaid shirt over a Nirvana tee and jeans. Her look fits her music well; despite the blonde tresses, she gives the guitar-playing boys a run for their money, using the opportunity of instrumental bridges to really rock out. A couple songs into the set, she admitted that she was really nervous coming to D.C. but said the crowd’s reception of her and her music made her calm down and relax, and that she’d managed to do some sightseeing earlier in the day. Awww.

She played almost all the songs off her album, with single cuts “Paris is Burning” and “Back of the Van” receiving the loudest cheering; she also included a newer B-side, “Danny and Jenny.” The finish for the night was the fabulous “My Delirium,” the ode to all girls who have ever been all consumed by a love so much they can’t function: “hey! you`re playing with my delirium / and the longer I wait the harder I’m gonna fall / stop! playing with my delirium / ‘cos I’m outta my head and outta my self control“. In the end, there was no contest: Ladyhawke won the crown, thundering applause ending her set and a wonderful night in Washington. I never thought I’d say this, but Mr. Perez Hilton, you have good musical taste!

Set List:
Magic
Professional Suicide
Dusk ’til Dawn
Another Runaway
Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
Danny and Jenny
Better Than Sunday
Back of the Van
Paris is Burning
My Delirium

Ladyhawke: website | myspace | remix monday: “back of the van” | @ Dot to Dot Festival 2009
Ida Maria: website | myspace
Frankmusik: website | myspace
Semi Precious Weapons: website | myspace