popwreckoning

Tuesday night at the 9:30 Club should have been captioned “the Night of Squeals.” Barring the predictable female reaction for Paolo Nutini I witnessed last summer (lots of screaming and near fainting), I have never heard so many superlatives and proclamations of “oh my god” coming from fanboys and fangirls alike. This felt like a surprising response, for this was for a show featuring three acts from three very different backgrounds: Melbourne-based rock band the Temper Trap co-headlined with London pop/soul singer Florence Welch (fronting the collective Florence and the Machine), with support provided by Danish indie rock group the Kissaway Trail. Looking back, it now seems quite appropriate that on the day, D.C. was experiencing completely unusual sweltering temperatures for the beginning of April, because the action on stage was equally as torrid.

The Kissaway Trail is a five-piece rock band from Odense, Denmark, signed to Simon Raymonde’s Bella Union label in Europe. I first heard of them via their second album Sleep Mountain, to be released in America on April 20. Their songs run the gamut of dream pop (every member providing harmonizing vocals, like in the awe-inspiring “SDP” that closed out their set) to all-out rock jams with wailing guitars. Lead singer Thomas L. Fagerlund, looking most definitely not Danish wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap, alternated between keyboards and guitar while providing powerful vocals. “New Lipstick,” another track from Sleep Mountain, was a set highlight for me. Unexpectedly, what I found funny about their performance was their sixth “member.” I’m not sure if he was a friend, roadie, or tour manager, but he was throwing his body into every shake of his tambourine and maracas, to the point that I thought his suspenders might break off.

Florence Welch, frontwoman for Florence and the Machine, arrived on stage, cocktail in hand, wearing an all black outfit that was topped off with a black hat that did a good job of obscuring her trademark fiery red hair. Almost. During her soulful, less than 1-hour set, she sang to a Washington crowd that appeared to know every single word of every single song from her 2009 Mercury Prize-nominated debut album, Lungs, that she played. Fans behind me swayed as if put in a trance by their pop heroine. This was possible, as during some songs like “Blinding” (where she wrapped herself in a shawl and you could barely see her face) and “Between Two Lungs,” Welch looked possessed by the music. When she tested the audience to jump higher and more vigorously to crowd favorite “Dog Days are Over” than fans the previous night in Philadelphia, everyone enthusiastically took up the challenge, pogo-ing along with the London singer with her bare, very long legs.

“Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” is probably the best Florence and the Machine song in terms of eliciting audience participation, and as a set closer, it was amazing watching everyone’s arms in the air as the song lyrics instruct. The crowd loved it and the whole set, and who could blame them? I would like to note that anyone receiving that level of adulation would have been excused for feeling cocky, soaking up the adoration of the masses. But not Welch, who would smile almost bashfully at the crowd, thanking them in a soft-spoken voice when fans sang along to her songs, cheered for her, and shouted “I love you Florence!” I’m not a huge fan of Welch’s singing style, but I have to admit, she has incredible charisma on stage, and there’s no wonder why this ginger siren sells out large venues in the UK so quickly and easily every time she announces a tour at home.

Florence and the Machine Set List
Howl
Kiss with a Fist
Hurricane Drunk
My Boy Builds Coffins
Between Two Lungs
Drumming Song
Cosmic Love
Blinding
I’m Not Calling You a Liar
Dog Days are Over
You’ve Got the Love (the Source / Candi Staton cover)
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

For a brief moment between the headlining sets, it was possible to stretch and get a breath of fresh air at the barrier, because many Florence fans left the club as soon as her set was over. But their prime spots were quickly snapped up by equally fanatical Temper Trap devotees. I was really interested to see this act because I was not blown away by their debut album Conditions, so I hoped they would sound better live. And boy, I was right. The album is like an attempt to bottle dynamite. The Temper Trap’s brand of thrilling guitar rock with lead singer’s Dougie Mandagi’s unusual (for a man in rock) falsetto is just damn exciting in concert. I was expecting their hits “Sweet Disposition” and “Fader” to be amazing (and they were). But equally great or possibly even better were “Soldier On,” with lead guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto trading his guitar temporarily to play keyboards and bassist Jonathan Ahearne’s sultry bass line, and “Love Lost,” with a lighting backdrop reminiscent of Phoenix’s “1901.”

The show-stopping moment of the night was when Mandagi drank from a bottle of water, then poured the remaining contents of the bottle on the top of a big drum for the appropriately-titled instrumental “Drum Song.” He then threw the bottle into the crowd and started pounding the drum furiously with two sticks. This provided an unexpected, appreciated, but all too brief cool off for the sweaty crowd. The last song of the night was “Science of Fear,” my favorite from Conditions, had Mandagi’s commanding voice and jangly guitars that got bodies moving. Just perfect. Keep an eye on this band, they could be the next big thing.

Personally, I think the Temper Trap killed it but the large contingent of Flo fans would have no doubt disagreed with me. If you’re interested in seeing any or all of these acts (and you should be!), please visit their MySpace pages for individual band tour info (see links below).

The Temper Trap Set List
instrumental intro
Rest
Fader
Fools
Down River
Love Lost
Soldier On
Sweet Disposition
Resurrection
Drum Song
//
Rabbit Hole (new song)
Science of Fear

The Temper Trap: website | myspace
Florence and the Machine: website | myspace | Mercury Prize Nominations Announced
The Kissaway Trail: website | myspace

Go behind the scenes with Paolo Nutini on the set of his video for “Coming Up Easy,” off Sunny Side Up, out now. Follow Paolo and his co-star Harvey the Rabbit as they wander the streets and bars together searching for the meaning of life. If you haven’t seen the Jimmy Stewart movie Harvey which this clearly references, run to the nearest video store immediately. Don’t be fooled by the film’s age (it was released in 1950), this is a great movie!

Catch Paolo Nutini on his headlining North American tour which kicks off tonight, August 31st, in Fort Lauderdale (dates below).

Tour Dates:
Aug 31 – Culture Room / Fort Lauderdale
Sep 01 – House of Blues / Orlando
Sep 03 – House of Blues / New Orleans
Sep 04 – La Zona Rosa / Austin
Sep 05 – Warehouse Live / Houston
Sep 06 – House of Blues / Dallas
Sep 08 – Rialto Theatre / Tucson
Sep 09 – House of Blues / San Diego
Sep 11 – The Wiltern / Los Angeles
Sep 12 – Fox Theater / Oakland
Sep 14 – Crystal Ballroom / Portland
Sep 15 – Knitting Factory / Boise
Sep 16 – The Wilma Theater / Missoula
Sep 18 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver
Sep 19 – Showbox SoDo / Seattle

Paolo Nutini: website | myspace | @ 9:30 club

Paolo Nutini. You glance at the name and think maybe that’s a new flavor of ice cream. Or maybe gelato. Sounds Italian enough, doesn’t it? But you’d be wrong. Paolo Nutini is, in fact, a 22-year-old singer/guitarist from Paisley, Scotland (his father is of Tuscan descent) who quickly became a UK heartthrob in the wake of the success of his 2006 pop/soul debut album These Streets.

I recall seeing the video for his tune “New Shoes” on the VH1 Top 20 Countdown one Saturday morning and sat there thinking, who is this guy, and why haven’t I heard of him before? As evidenced by the estrogen-charged atmosphere at the 9:30 Club on July 23, there were many who have been fans since his first album-length offering and have liked what this Scot has to say and sing about.

His sophomore effort released June 1 in the UK, Sunny Side Up, is a different animal from These Streets entirely. It’s less mainstream and more soul- and folk-influenced and has received mixed reviews in the British press for its perceived lack of accessibility compared to the previous album. Also, Nutini produced the album himself – often the Achilles’ heel of many artists. I’ve been told by outsiders that D.C. crowds are fickle and aren’t as vocal and responsive to their musical heroes as those in other towns; I’ve been to enough gigs in the area to know this definitely isn’t the case, and it depends on who the performer in question is. Having heard some of the new songs on his MySpace, it wondered how these less poppy songs were going to fly with an audience that might not be familiar with the new material and only be expecting the hits from the first album.

Two American singer /songwriters opened for Paolo Nutini this night – Tampa, Florida native Matt Hires and Nashville-based Texan songstress Erin McCarley. Hires reminds me of another “Matt” with one T, Mat Kearney. This is intriguing, especially if you consider that both singers have had songs featured prominently in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and with that exposure, both of them gained attention and new fans. He even took the stage wearing a similar kind of hat that Kearney wears (but I don’t remember whether Mat Kearney got on stage barefooted at Constitution Hall in May). There’s something endearing about the way Hires emotes that makes him more likable to me than the other solo male pop singer/songwriters currently out there. Also, when someone’s out there with an acoustic guitar and nothing else to fall back on, you know they’re going to bring it.

He started his set with his own version of that classic pop standard, “You Are My Sunshine”. “Pick Me Up”, the third song in Hires’ set, was tender, clearly written and sung by a pained man, distraught and upset, and we the audience could feel this. Before launching into “A Perfect Day”, Hires spent a brief moment tuning his guitar, prefacing the tuning with “tuning a guitar…this is when most musicians would tell a funny story. But I’m not good at doing two things at once. If I tried telling you a funny story, we’ll be here all night.” This of course elicited laughs from the crowd.

A sprightly rendition of MGMT’s “Kids” was definitely an unexpected surprise; Hires began the song with jaunty whistling (replacing the synths in the original version) and continued whistling throughout it. His vocals in the closing number, “State Lines”, reminded me a bit of early-era Oasis Liam Gallagher. (By the way, that’s a compliment, folks, not a slight.) Hires’s debut album Take Us to the Start will be available on iTunes on July 28 and the physical CD will be available in stores August 25.

Matt Hires’ Set List:
You Are My Sunshine (pop standard)
Honey Let Me Sing You a Song
Pick Me Up
Out of the Dark
A Perfect Day
Kids (MGMT cover)
State Lines

Singer/songwriter Erin McCarley has been compared by some to Regina Spektor and Sara Bareilles. I don’t see the connection – for one, McCarley doesn’t play the piano (her collaborator/producer Jamie Kenney does), and two, Spektor and Bareilles don’t have the sultry voice that McCarley has. When you see her come out on stage and strap her guitar on (leather strap festooned with feathers), you wouldn’t imagine that such a deep, pleasant voice could come out of her. McCarley’s album Love, Save the Empty came out on January 9, and I really enjoyed the first single from it, “Pony (It’s OK)”, with drummer Josh Robinson and pianist K.S. Rhoads coming together with McCarley to create a perfect piece of pop. The tune directly following it, “Blue Suitcase”, was described by McCarley, with a knowing laugh, as “the one bitter song of the night.”

Like Hires before, she also ventured forth with a cover: Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner”, accompanied by human beatbox from piano/synth player Rhoads. This cover was just as improbable – or maybe more so than Hires’s earlier MGMT cover? – and those in the know like me sang along and contributed the repeated “doo doo doo doo, doo da-doo doos”. It was more than a little unsettling to see little kids around me who obviously had absolutely no reference point to this song, but McCarley was unfazed, she had a winsome smile throughout her performance. McCarley ended her eight-song set with “Pitter Pat”, with the lyrics “pitter pat, the angel on my shoulder is haunting me tonight / tick tock, the clock is getting louder ready for me to decide” – just as gorgeous and sweet as herself.

Erin McCarley’s Set List:
Sticky Sweet
Pony (It’s OK)
Blue Suitcase
Lovesick Mistake
Tom’s Diner (Suzanne Vega cover)
Hello Goodbye
Live, Save the Empty
Pitter Pat

It’s been a very long time since I’ve been to a gig where I’ve felt as though my ears were going to be blown out by the sheer force of screaming from enthusiastic (and usually most often than not female) fans. I was really surprised by the wide range of ages I saw at the show, because I expected Paolo Nutini’s core fan base in America to be women younger than myself – the type of fan most likely to find his videos and music online. I was mistaken: judging from my vantage point on the floor, crammed up at the front were the most vocal fans; older than me, they had brought their daughters with them. For sure, women outnumbered men 5 to 1 (at least), and as I looked backwards and upwards from where I was standing, the place was packed.

I was completely unprepared for the impact of the energized shrieking from the audience when Nutini and his band, the Vipers (all six of them, including a trumpeter/pianist and an harmonica player), finally emerged. The first song out of the gate was the guaranteed to please “New Shoes,” which tested Nutini’s ability to run around the stage, singing along quickly to the song’s quick pace, and ended was a drawn-out jam.

Sure, some of the new songs are cheesy – are polka rhythms “in”? Has polka ever been “in”? Is this 2009? – and some sound like throwbacks to some bygone era for their crooning quality. Songs like “Chamber Music” and “Candy” could have been sung by Bob Dylan; similarly, “No Other Way” sounded like Nutini was channeling Al Green. But if you’d asked any of the Paolo Nutini fans there that night what they thought, I’m sure they would have pledged their undying devotion to him that night.

The highlight of the gig for me was an all-out raucous version of “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty” during the encore, the driving rhythms from the band feeling like a force of nature, combined with the crowd singing along eagerly with every word uttered out from Nutini’s lips. Nutini and his band gave the D.C. audience everything they had, and in return, the audience cheered and applauded to the music in an equally giving way. So it seems only appropriate that he closed the show with a cover of Rodriguez’s “Forget It” with the lines “so thanks for your time / and you can thank me for mine“, which is a good summation of what happened at the 9:30 Club that night Paolo Nutini and his band came to town.

Paolo Nutini’s Set List:
New Shoes
High Hopes
Alloway Grove
Pencil Full of Lead
Loving You
Mellow Down Easy
Last Request
These Streets
Growing Up Beside You
Chamber Music
Candy
Funky Cigarette
Coming Up Easy
Down in Mexico
10/10
No Other Way
//
Tricks of the Trade (acoustic solo)
Sleepwalking
Jenny Don’t Be Hasty
Forget It (Rodriguez cover)

Tour dates
Jul 25 - Theatre of Living Arts / Philadelphia
Jul 27 – Vogue Theatre / Indianapolis
Jul 28 – Variety Playhouse / Atlanta
Jul 29 – Cannery Ballroom / Nashville
Jul 31 – Opera House / Toronto
Aug 01 – St. Andrews Hall / Detroit
Aug 02 – Vic Theatre / Chicago
Aug 03 – Weesner Amphitheater / Apple Valley, MN

Paolo Nutini: website | myspace
Matt Hires: myspace
Erin McCarley: website | myspace

Irish rockabilly-jazz-boogie-woogie blues belter Imelda May will release her debut Love Tattoo stateside on August 11th on Verve Forecast. Handpicked as a virtual unknown by British TV icon Jools Holland to perform on his program, Imelda May quickly landed a label deal with UK’s Universal Records, on which she released Love Tattoo this past January and spent two weeks at the #1 spot on the Irish charts just ahead of Bruce Springsteen, Paolo Nutini and Eminem.

Imelda May – “Johnny Got A Boom Boom”

As Imelda gets ready to head to the US, she’ll play some of the summer’s biggest European festivals including Glastonbury, Lovebox, Cheltenjam Jazz and Camp Bestival. She just booked dates with guitar legend Jeff Beck, who is a big fan of Imelda’s. Beck made a point of telling Jools Holland that he was only on the program to see Imelda when they both guested on “Later with Jools Holland”. She’s also shared stages with Van Morrison, Scissor Sisters, Eartha Kitt, Dionne Warwick and Lionel Richie.

Having fallen in love with rockabilly and the blues as a nine-year-old in Dublin – the only kid in her class who wasn’t into a-Ha and Wet Wet Wet – she’s turned them into a cool, swinging fusion that’s both classic and oddly modern. Though her musical heart lies in early Rock N’ Roll, she puts a 21st century spin on things. Her debut album Love Tattoo is lusciously retro, but as fresh as 2009. And her live gigs, where she sings and plays bodhran, are fierce.

Look for more Imelda May to come.

Imelda May: website | myspace