popwreckoning

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