"So, are we fantastic or what?"

Last night's show was incredible. Shows I go to (or play, for that matter) do not usually warrant a written review, but the performance last night was great, and I'm feeling a bit pompous anyway. So here goes:

Ambulette
Arrived late and only got to see their last song. Good from what I could tell though. I had never heard them before, and I was happy to see the evening's opener could hold their own, especially with such a diminutive little female singer. She could belt out the tones though. She even drowned out the drummer at one point.

Ours
Awesome. Just awesome. During their opening song they had the whole crowd clapping along to an offbeat snare line the drummer was playing. The songs were performed with much more gusto than on their albums, and it made the performance sound that much more grandiose. Herr Gnecco (the title quote is his) was on point, of course, and his voice was astounding. Whisper soft to flourishing screams, ocean-floor lows to mountain-top highs. Sweeping, magnificent, brutal yet subtle, and brilliant. If Jon Crosby were smarter, had a better rock sensibility, and could maintain a decent drug habit, he might end up somewhere in this neighborhood. Incredible songs that remind you how much fucking fun heartbreak really is.

Dredg
Why do these guys draw the frat boy sect? The morons that throw up the horns at a fucking art-rock show? Dredg's performance was astounding as always. Those boys simply do not make mistakes. I realize that being a band for that long, and doing that many drugs together, will really tighten a group up, but please, make a fucking mistake for once! Prove you're human! Their artwork was unfortunately absent this time, but it was still fun to watch their singer twist and twirl his way around the stage. Their set also ran a bit long, pushing an hour and half, but they were kind enough to end it all with a track off of leitmotif, so it was well worth the stay.

Now come to the Toy Devils show at Mulligan's on may 19th and be brave enough to write your own scathing, cowardly review! All the cool kids are doing it!