Los Campesinos! + Spinto Band | Bowery Ballroom | 11.30.2007

Who knew Los Campesinos! were so popular? Their show earlier this year year at Mercury Lounge was sold out, yes, but I had no idea they could fill Bowery. Fill it they did and the crowd was going crazy for this Welsh seven-piece who have yet to release a full album.

Musically, I find them a little samey, but I really love their attitude, lyrics, enthusiasm, and musical outlook in general. (Plus, the singer plays the glockenspiel.) And, though they're young, they know about music that existed before they were 14. Even if, as they sing in "International Tweexcore Underground," Calvin Johnston never meant shit to them. (Don't believe it, though.) They're just trying to rile up the old timers. Of which their were more than a few at the Bowery show. Unlike Cajun Dance Party, the over-30 set are not scared to attend their shows.

It was a short set, but they played pretty much everything they've released so far, from singles "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives," "You! Me! Dancing!," and the aforementioned "Tweexcore" to their cover of Pavement's "Frontwards" and maybe five more. Short and sweet is better anyway. But I look forward to hopefully hearing a full LP next year.

MP3: Los Campesinos! - The International Tweexcore Underground (buy some)

There were probably as many people there to see Spinto Band. Here's a band I like much better on record than I do live. Not sure why. Their debut, Nice and Nicely Done is choc-ful of clever pop songs but I've seen them maybe four times now and they have yet to do it for me. I look forward to a second album though.

Comments

[tara]

thanks for this post... i found it via hypem. i wish i could have gone to see this show and your short review makes me love them even more