I caught the tail end of Hey Rosetta!'s opening set Wednesday night at the Middle East and was pleasantly surprised by their sound. They did a good job ramping the modest crowd up for the 22-20's, and as our photographer Liz noted, "It's pretty easy to out-perform expectations when you're watching a band you've never heard of before." Well said, Liz. I'll keep an eye on them in the future.
The 22-20's, a rollicking British band, dove right into their set, playing some great songs off of their June release shake/shiver/moan. "Bitter pills" was awesome in concert, with the band transitioning from a blues-influenced verse and chorus into an almost shoegaze bridge seamlessly.
Fans of the 22-20s from their eponymous 2005 album might be disappointed to see them stray a bit from their blues rock origins, but I was impressed by how they infused their older style with some new elements. Songs from both albums were on display, and "Such a Fool" was a great example of the fact that they can still rock on their older material.
If they've got one thing to work on, it's their stage presence. As melophobe writer Jarrod mentioned when he reviewed them in Portland, they leave a lot to be desired in stage presence. They rock, but they rock to themselves.
The same cannot be said about Hot Hot Heat. If there's one thing they have in the bank, it is lead singer Steve Bays bouncing up and down and playing it up for the audience. Like the 22-20s, they came out blasting tracks from their June release, Future Breeds. I had checked it out a bit, and didn't love my first listen, but I knew given a chance to hear it live, I would be impressed. Opening their set with the album's first track, "YVR," won me over right away--maybe I was just hungry for some charisma.
My favorite song from their new album, "21@12" was definitely a standout in their set, as were a few songs from their past repertoire. While many bands try to stick to a new album on their summer release tour, Hot Hot Heat weren't afraid to dip into their hits, playing "Get in or Get Out" off 2002's Make up the Breakdown" and--judging by the crowd's cheers, the hit of the night--"Goodnight, Goodnight" from 2005's Elevator.
As they closed the set with another golden oldie, "Bandages," it definitely seemed like the crowd preferred their older material, but that isn't a knock on their new album. I think their fans just don't know their new album well enough to sing along yet. Maybe by the next time they come to Boston, the crowd will be just as ready to belt out the chorus to "JFK's LSD" as any of their classics.
