Dirty Beaches

Man, think Dirty Beaches listens to much Elvis? Alex Zhung Hai put on such a karaoke revisionist/revivalist show at Vice's Friday night showcase that it was tough not to hear the set as bad mimicry of the King. Armed with a guitar, a fuzzy old school microphone (with which he occasionally strummed said guitar) and a small array of effect pedals, Dirty Beaches cranked out vaguely distinguishable mumblefuzz for half an hour to start off the night. It was slow, it was dull, and it was thoroughly unremarkable; though there may be a case to be made for Dirty Beaches' recorded music, his live show is a far cry from entertainment. His gimmick wore out its welcome about two songs deep - some four tracks before he pulled out a comb and styled his hair on stage.