Walking into Philadelphia’s acclaimed First Unitarian Church Tuesday night had me confronting my own demons. Seemingly everywhere were hipsters, young and old, all there to see the much beloved noise band HEALTH. Nestling myself amongst cut-off shorts and large framed glasses, I knew I was in for an interesting show.
The first opener was solo artist Gold Panda, playing electronic music behind a laptop, bopping along to beats in a basement in 90 degree weather… in a hoodie -- a trend I’m starting to notice (I’m looking at you, Ethan Kath). Gold Panda was good, if a bit generic, but no amount of bass was sufficient enough to get this crowd adequately riled up.
Next came Indian Jewelry, who immediately set themselves apart with their stage show. A flashing strobe light served to accentuate the industrial drumming and distorted guitars coming from the stage and also helped to get most of the crowd into a transfixed shoe gaze dance. Their performance was great, and a hilarious moment came when, after the set was over, almost everyone had to take time out to let their eyes readjust.
Having never seen HEALTH play before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. A big aspect of their sound is the sheer ferocity with which they play, and as they got ready onstage, I doubted everyone but drummer BJ’s ability to keep up with their music (BJ looks like he could be a bear wrestler). Lead singer Jake Duzsik greeted the crowd with no frills. “We’re HEALTH, we’re from California.” Immediately the whole band delved right into “Girl Attorney,” and a transformation took place. The band came alive with as much vigor as their music, furiously contorting themselves and never letting up. BJ seemingly kept the band in check, playing drums with deafening dexterity while bassist John Famiglietti and guitarist Jupiter Keyes never stopped playing, moving or drumming.
HEALTH played every song I wanted and expected them to play, including “Crimewave,” “Triceratops,” “USA Boys,” and “In Violet.” I was especially pleased when they played “We are Water,” because I had watched the music video every day for about two weeks - seriously, check it out [Ed. - not for the faint of heart!]. But what really sets HEALTH apart from other noise bands is their danciness, and their danciest songs were the ones the crowd had the best reactions to. Songs like “Glitter Pills” and “Die Slow” had everyone moshing and getting sweaty, and I quietly admitted to myself that cut-offs were a spectacular idea.
Not once did HEALTH take a break, not once were you allowed to breathe. It was an amazing onslaught of sound, and no member of the band gave me the courtesy of standing still. This is a band that entertains its audience, and the relatively small crowd at the Church got more than they paid for.
After an hour, Jake Duzsik finally spoke again. “We’ll play one more for you guys.” A ferocious minute later, they had wrapped up “Courtship” and gone offstage to rabid applause.
With a new album out (and new remix album on its heels) HEALTH is a band that shouldn’t be avoided. And if your ears can withstand it, be certain you will get a healthy dose of pure energy and sweaty fun when HEALTH comes to your town.
