Scotland Rocks? Well, 1990s do, at least. Bowery Ballroom was decked out in blue and white balloons in celebration of the Scotland Rocks festival, or whatever it was.
John McKeown, formerly of late-'90s indie band the Yummy Fur, knows his way around a Big Rock Riff, even if his lyrics are lacking. ("Dancing on the ceiling" is a phrase Lionel Richie rendered verboten.) He's pretty charming, which makes up for a lot of the bands other shortcomings which are apparent on their debut, Cookies. But he has stated that 1990s aren't trying to do any more than just be a good time. Live...mission accomplished. But the songs the drummer sings are the best.
Bowery Ballroom was a little too big, though, for a band almost no one knew at all. I'm sure at the Mercury Lounge they would have killed. Which means they will probably be awesome on Friday night at Union Pool in Williamsburg. If you're around, go see them.
MP3: 1990s - Cult Status
Cookies is out in the UK on May 28 and in the US on July 31. 1990s play Union Pool on Friday, April 6.
Not sure what your point your making when you write: "Bowery Ballroom was a little too big, though, for a band almost no one knew at all . . .", when it was obvious from the crowd reaction that most people had turned up to see the headliners Sons and Daughters.
Know what you mean about the lyrics though. ;-)
Posted by: Darren | Thursday, April 05, 2007 at 08:28 AM
I know everyone was there to see S&Ds, but I think a band's first NYC gig should still be at a size-appropriate venue. I think I'm just spoiled.
Posted by: SoundBitesNYC | Thursday, April 05, 2007 at 09:00 AM
I know what you mean Bill. We get a lot of shows here in Philly (definitely enough that I never feel bored), but it's nowhere near the insane amount that New Yorkers get. Thus, we often get bands playing their first Philly shows as openers for bigger acts in larger venues than they would be in otherwise. For instance, I saw the great Australian band Love of Diagrams open for Ted Leo at the TLA, a club similar in size to Irving Plaza. I'd never heard them before and really liked them, but I couldn't help thinking that they would've been even better in a smaller club on their own. They signed to Matador, who's putting out their new album soon, so hopefully they'll come back in the summer or fall.
The flip side of that is that often bands here play much smaller venues than they do in New York because things just aren't as popular here nor do they sell out nearly as fast in most instances. For instance, we got to see Radio Birdman (another great Aussie band though a much older one) in a church basement last September whereas the New York show was at Irving.
Posted by: Matt Berlyant | Thursday, April 05, 2007 at 02:13 PM
New tour dates:
Jul 31 - Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands
Aug 1 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge 8pm
Aug 2 - New York, NY - Club NME @ Annex
Posted by: kathryn | Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 06:33 PM