Culture Collide: Dialogue with Duologue, blasts from Bleached and packing a punch with the Pack A.D.
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Random encounters of the festival kind on Friday night Filter magazine’s Culture Collide, as reported by Kevin Bronson, Seraphina Lotkhamnga, Andrew Veeder and Joe Giuliano, with photos by Carl Pocket:
Highlight of the night
London five-piece Duologue is one of those bands that can turn you into a weepy, emotional kid while your left brain tries to process how in the name of technology they are doing it. Their late set in the Taix Champagne Room revealed their seemingly laboratory-tested set-up, which featured keys, synths, programming, looping, electric strings, guitars played with bows and – most importantly – five actual human beings. Frontman Tim Digby-Bell and mates Toby Leeming, Seb Dilleyston, Toby Lee and Ross Stone were nothing if not evocative; their single “Underworld” ought be subtitled “Building a Better Coldplay.” Duologue’s debut “Song & Dance” is out this month in the U.S., and if they were to materialize anytime soon in a larger concert hall with pristine sonics, both sides of your brain should be unanimous in deciding that your body should show up. (– K.B.)
Of two-pieces, onesies and Bleached’s home cookin’
L.A. garage-rockers Bleached headlined the Taix Outdoor Stage, breezing through a set as the Clavin sisters Jessica and Jennifer double-time shimmied on guitar and Jon Safley (also of the Reflections) banged away on drums. A driving bassline propelled “Dead in Your Head,” punctuated by staccato strums, harmonies, and crescendo of shredded distortion. A cloud of smoke swept through during their last song, leading fans to wonder if a tent caught fire behind them or fireworks were lit, but it turned out to be courtesy of revving motorcycles over the parking lot’s fence, giving the conclusion a pyrotechnic-without-pyrotechnics smell. (– A.V.)
Miami Horror‘s headlining slot at the Echoplex was a well-deserved one. The Australian quartet, who have recently relocated to Los Angeles, made sure Friday’s Culture Collide went out with a bang. It was appropriate for them to play this venue, in particular; they have a single titled “Echoplex” after all. Disco-house tunes like the “Holidays” and new tunes such as “Real Slow” had everyone soaking it in. (– S.L.)
On Saturday morning, it was announced that the Pack A.D.’s final Culture Collide performance, scheduled for that night at Lot 1 Cafe, “has been canceled due to injury.” The injury was not specified, but what the Vancouver, B.C. duo dispensed late Friday in the Taix lounge hurt so good. Two-piece guitar-and-drums bands come and go (recently, they mostly come), yet singer-guitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller bring a riot grrl sensibility to their raucous roar, gritty and intense and thoroughly likable. In a battle of the bands with Deap Vally, they’d be the underdog everyone would root for. “This is a song we wrote,” Miller kept saying, by way of introducing the tunes, as if perhaps authorship was in question. The Pack A.D. has been doing it for six or so years now, and their brand of garage-rock is ever-so-distinctly their own. A new album is en route in 2014 via Nettwerk. (– K.B.)
Earlier in the evening, the petite frames of guitarists Paola Rogue and Jimena Torres in pretty floral dresses may be deceiving if you’ve never heard of their band The Great Wilderness. The Costa Rican dream-rock band surprised newcomers to the Taix lounge when Rogue growled into the mic with vocals that could have rivaled any death metal singer. The Great Wilderness’ set had an interestingly ominous flow with British post-punk undertones, rocking the room and hypnotizing all. (– S.L.)
Then the Taix lounge exploded with pure unadulterated classic rock ’n’ roll, thanks to a trio from the Netherlands. Birth of Joy sounded like the Doors in their first years, fronted by a youthful Jim Morrison reincarnate. While the tiny size of Taix was certainly felt and the room was as sweaty as an orgy, it all went together just fine with the packed room demanding more. (– J.G.)
How much energy can burst out of a floral onesie? Enough to kick-start a dance party. Israeli electro outfit Terry Poison brought the heat to an already overheating Champagne Room room at Taix. The crowd for their fashionista-friendly ’80s electro was certainly smaller than the main room, but lead singer Louise Kahn couldn’t have cared less. (– J.G.)
The Echoplex got a slice of Midwestern electro pop-rock courtesy of Gemini Club, and despite some technical difficulties, the Chicago-based quartet pumped the crowd up for a night of dancing. Frontman Tom Gavin charmed the crowd as he dropped his guitar to interact more closely with his fans. Performing older songs such as “Ghost” and newer tunes off their latest album “Here We Sit,” it wasn’t a bad way to get kick off Friday festivities. (– S.L.)
Upstairs at the Echo, Ireland’s Kid Karate – aka vocalist/guitarist Kevin Breen and drummer Steven Gannon – was playing a grittier set. Primal percussion and aggressive howls pummeled through the crowd for 30 minutes, creating a raw atmosphere of catchy blues and head-banging rock. The pair proved their music was a lot tougher than their name. (– S.L.)
L.A.’s very own Luis Dubuc, who is better known by his stage name Mystery Skulls, continued the dance party downstairs at the Echoplex. With his live high-flying falsetto and infectious melodies, the crowd would lose their heads whenever he dropped a new beat. For a one-man show, Dubuc played the room like there was 3 more of him, and fans reciprocated that energy. (– S.L.)
And there’s always at least one band at Culture Collide that features a saw as their “unique” instrument; this year it was the Deer Tracks from Sweden. Although visually appealing with their gothic getup, the trio’s attempt at elongated folk lyrics and peculiar dance beats came across as a forced reinterpretation of Bjork. (– S.L.)
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