Thank you Capitol Hill Block Party for re-enforcing my dislike of people and giving me another reason to be a cranky bitch. The thought of spending the day crushed amongst sweaty hipsters makes me cringe but sometimes it is a necessary evil en route to a musical wonderland. It was hot and dirty, girls fell down in their ridiculous shoes, people puked in the street and on other concert goers, many attendees were rude assholes, there was pushing and shoving and burning by cigarette, sunburns and extreme dehydration. But there was also jubilation, misting tents, glistening six packs, free popsicles, pork, barely covered tits, punk, rock, pop, alt-country, new wave, indie-folk, indie-pop, and countless other types of music with “indie” attached to it.
After waiting in line to get my beer bracelet I bee-lined it to Neumos to catch Hotels, an 80’s inspired synthesizer revelation. The crowds on the street were thin at that point, but inside it was jammed and I was just able to squeeze in the side door, scoot up the back staircase and wedge myself into place on the balcony. Blake, the lead singer and bassist, has a hypnotizing quality to his voice not unlike (and I really hesitate to make this comparison since it has been applied liberally of late but here it goes anyway) Ian Curtis. His look is pure Joe Strummer which brings the whole 80s feel full circle. Hotels are built on a New Order like keyboard foundation that’s brought to life by rough, fast guitar. They had great energy despite the sticky heat, managing to dance and jump around throughout each song. At one point, Blake even managed a full on split. Their enthusiasm and pure fun performance was a highlight of my 2009 Block Party and I definitely recommend seeing them live.
Following Hotels I hydrated with a refreshing Miller Lite outside in the beer garden before delving back into the fray to catch Girls, also playing on the Neumos stage. Despite great effort, I couldn’t really find out much about them before the show and as the Stranger pointed out, they have the most annoying name to Google. They are described on their My Space page as gothic, thrash, tropical. That’s accurate if by gothic they mean Frankenstein’s funeral procession because it was definitely a dirge. The only thing tropical was their Jeff Spicoli hair and as for thrash, forget about it. The link to the band’s website takes you to www.drugs.com’s pill identifier page, leading me to wonder if their My Space page has been hacked, this is their attempt at wit, or whoever wrote the music descriptors has been visiting that site a little to often. The singer’s stringy in the face hair, patchy beard and red heels triggered memories of Kurt Cobain on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball when he showed up in a ball gown. Strange and sad. Overall, I found Girls bland, without stage presence or energy. It was sort of like watching your friend’s garage band at the high school talent show.
After escaping Girls, I found that the Pains of Being Pure at Heart were in full indie-pop magnificence on the main stage. Now I don’t dislike the band, I just haven’t jumped on the love train that seems to be following them everywhere. They gave a tight, polished performance and are obvious accomplished musicians (seems strange to say but so many bands these days don’t focus on musicianship). For a pop band they just don’t have enough crescendo or chorus for my liking. Honestly, I can’t tell any of their songs apart and after awhile they just blend together as background music. The crowd and all of my friends were really feeling them however, so I think I am in the minority on this one.
The subdued sunlight signaled that early evening had snuck up on me and it was time to fuel up with a veggie dog before getting my urban cowboy on with The Maldives. I’ve heard them described as “Ballard’s alt-country boy band” and they certainly lived up to that image. With western shirts unbuttoned just so, sideburns freshly trimmed, and beards in all their bushy glory, the Maldives rocked Neumos. Much hootin’ and hollerin’ could be heard from the crowd, particularly after extended guitar or banjo jamming. It was great to hear twang, fiddle, and steel guitar somewhere other than the Tractor and made for an awesome break in my rock filled day. The Maldives were straight up spectacular (and super talented to fit all nine of them on that tiny stage) and we were all disappointed when they had to bring the set to a close.
Night fell over Capitol Hill and all the better to see Beth Ditto’s creamy, peachy skin by. When she was a “Bust” cover girl last year I slept with my copy under the pillow for a month. This is the entire reason I subjected myself to the filth, the heat, and the crowds. Gossip. By the time they took the stage, I was smashed against a metal barrier 800 yards away and couldn’t see a damn thing. After enduring countless people pushing to get closer I squeezed back to the intersection (they moved the stage this year farther down to Broadway and Pike, maybe not the best idea with a crowd this big) and discovered that I could get a clear view of Beth and the band. Gossip is known to do covers, “Careless Whisper” and “Baby, One More Time” for example, and this gig was no different. Beth broke out the Tina Turner classic, “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody.” Her vocals were raw and wonderful, while her speaking voice has hints of softness and a southern twang right out of Steel Magnolias. She labeled this show Gossip’s redemption since on a previous tour opening for Sonic Youth, “they booed the shit out of us.”
They showcased some of the tracks of the new record “Music for Men” but still mixed in old stuff and of course their signature song “Standing in the Way of Control.” Which I can never understand how Beth can still manage to talk after screaming out the choruses on that song. Then there was a tender moment at the end when Beth led the crowd in a “We Are the Champions” sing along before bidding us goodbye. But at least it won’t be a long goodbye since they’re coming back to visit this fall on their full tour. I can sleep well tonight.
