2010年 04月 10日 土曜日 17:32
Tue 6 Apr – Florence + The Machine, The Temper Trap, The Kissaway Trail
Note: This is my opinion on this show. Under no circumstance do you have to agree with me. If you think different do say so and I shall consider it. I stress shall greatly.
-Intro-
Yes, that dreaded Tuesday… It was extraordinary hot that day, which was rare for D.C. It was over 90 degrees Fahrenheit for my European friends it was about 38 to 39 degrees Celsius. This was my second concert ever and my first time at The 9:30 Club. I was one of the first in the line for the Kissaway/Florence/Trap show that started to wrap around the street nearing Howard University Hospital, this was not shocking, since that was sold out. As I have overhead that many, many, many people, where they were for Florence + The Machine. I know I was one of them. I have never heard anything about The Temper Trap or The Kissaway Trail. I have seen at the crowd fill of girls of questionable nature, hipsters, artists, and like such though they were some exceptions, like me. I waited in line for an hour and half… Okay, more like two hours since they organizers were late…. At 7:12 pm, I believe the doors started to open and people began pouring in. It was nuts. I chose a seat on the second floor balcony just four seats from the stage. A seemingly perfect seat.
- First act: The Kissaway Trail - 8:10ish pm to 850ish pm .
Hailing from Denmark, The Kissaway Trail was very simplistic like their stage consisting of rug for the drummer and their many instruments. Their wear was nothing much that t-shirts and shinny jeans with one hat, which have me the impression of a down to earth band. The crowd reaction was poor. Only one person, maybe two, shouted out love and praised for this Scandinavian band that person wasn't me. They were good. Their drummer, however, thundered away at their short set, he proved to be amazing. But the tambourine player stole the show in the worse way possible. He just clapped those two tambourines for thirdly minutes, never moving just clapping and clapping and more clapping. That long blond headed dude in his white beaters shirt with black suspenders on that thought must of that he was a rock star. When the tambourines didn't suit a song, he was sent to play air guitar that was in poor contrast with the brilliant instrumentalists, who surround him. Why was he there? He, the lone tambourine player, brought a new shame for the band at least for me. When he left, I never saw his face. I think I never will. Kissaway were decent in providing their brand of pop music. They had a great feel and a pretty cool delivery, but lost it in the poor set and the little crowd interaction. They were a just a filler for Florence, when they could have been more. If only the crowd cared (more) about them? This was not their day, and they knew it. They left with a soft goodbye. They were soon forgotten with the onset of the Machine.
-Second Act: Florence + The Machine - 9ish pm to 10ish pm.
The "main" event of the evening, Florence Welch (and the Machine) was the second act of the April 6th show of this unnamed tour. After 20 minutes of setting her stuff and the most boring sound check, the lights dimmed and Florence (and the Machine) arrived on the stage. The crowd was at its fullest, this looked like the sold-out show that it was posted everywhere. Everyone was standing up. They did want to miss a moment of these red-haired British lass (and her band). She was the reason I was even there. She had a rose covered drum and a harp. A harp! What band has a harp!? None at least for me. Miss Welch was in a long, black designer shirt that stopped at her waist, a small black jacket that stops just below her breasts, and yellow flat shoes that was covered in black silk shawl and a man's hat. She looked lovely. Her set started out of nowhere randomly going through songs off her debut album, Lungs. She could sing and she proved it to the crowd. The crowd loved her. Shouting out, "We love Florence! WE LOVE YOU, FLORENCE!" I kid you not. The jumped when she jumped, sang what she sang. She danced around stage with her drink in her hand. She flowed with the percussion, which was prominent during the entire show–all three bands. The lights moved to her every will. She blinded me, not figuratively I mean literality! She, literality, blinded me with those damn spot lights behind her! Perfect seats my ass or as the British say it, my arse! I still can't see straight. She rarely spoke only dancing like gypsy moving though a fair. When she did speak, it was a soft voice that was barely audible. She was frightened, and her speaking voice showed it. Her demeanor was withdrawn and her presence was soft, this was only when she was talking. This was her second time in America, and her first time in D.C. So of course, she was frightened. However, when she sang all the power was there and nobody in the crowd could ignore her. The live versions of You Got the Love, I'm Not Calling You a Liar, Between Two Lungs, and many more off Lungs were just as good even better than their album counterparts. I cannot remember her set list, it was long and enjoy. She stole the show; all the other acts know it. She left with many, many applause and cheers, she only shook one man hands before leaving, you could see the joy in that guy’s face. Intermission began, once again for the final time, with The Temper Trap's backs against the wall.
-Third (Final) act: The Temper Trap - 10ish pm to 11ish pm
As the final act of the evening took the stage, The Temper Trap , who dressed casually in the hot April day, noticed that they were not the main act with the tired, voiceless crowd. They tired their best to gain back all of the moment with their they drum-filled pop music. For half their set, they were trying to gain back of all that lost momentum that the red haired lass (and her band) stole. Trap weren't so lucky, nobody shouted love and affection for them. They played their alternative/pop music to its loudest, yet never gaining that power to carry the show to new heights, which was sad, they were really, really good. The had many sound problems as having to fix the lead singer's microphone that squeak loudly during the first half of their set. However, during the later part of the set energy slowly returned to them, and the crowd was moved, not as much as Florence (and her band), but enough to make it fun still everyone was tried. It was Tuesday night and people had work and school tomorrow. They were decent up until the end of their set, when it they had became AWESOME! They filled the finally song and most stunning part of their set: The Drum Song. This little instrumental, which sets at the end of their debut album, Conditions, gained the weary crowd's attention and blasted it to heights I knew this band was capable of. The lights were dimmed, as the lead singer hammer away on his drum with his face and head covered in a black towel as the overhead strobe lights danced behind and around him. This was cool, but when the music halted and soften from hails of drums and distorted guitars, when the lead singer seemly took a drink of his water bottle only to throw on his drums and into the crowd. The crowd went wild and all that lost energy and momentum was theirs to use to their well! When that song finish, they left their equipment still running, left people misinterpret that this was the end of the show and high tailed it out of there, I was not one of them. They came back to play on encore song only to leave without saying a goodbye only to have the venue to kick the audience into the dead of night. That was the end of my night.
-My Evaluation of the Kissaway/Florence/Trap show-
Though this, very young, bands are amazing, the show felt like all their sets ran together as all of them used ear-deafening percussion and rarely interacted with the audience. Florence (and her band) was the main event, and nobody could take that away from her (and her band). She was the reason why it was a sold out show, which left a big gap for the other bands to fill, they didn't. They are all worth seeing again, however the venue and the day just did work into their favor. Hopefully next time, D.C weather and venues will be much kinder to them. These fledgling bands have a lot of potential and a lot of time to grow into awesome live acts.
The march booth was poor, they only had two Florence shirts, three to four Temper Trap shirts and zero Kissaway shirts. I got one Florence shirt and one Temper Trap shirt. They were only two cds there, The Kissaway Trail'sSleep Mountain and The Temper Trap's Conditions. I got them both for only ten dollars each. ^_______^ I couldn't pass that up.
-Food for thought-
Interesting things I have seen and heard at this venue and this show. All three of the bands have an auxiliary drummer, out two of them (Florence and Trap) it is their lead singer. Two bands have the word drum in one of their songs and they are Florence's Drumming Song and Trap's The Drum Song. All three of them had more than six members. Two of them had synthesizers (Kissaway and Trap), one was there lead singer (Kissaway). Every guy in all three bands was in t-shirt and jeans. There was only two girls, one being the lead singer and the synth player (Florence).
-Discography
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1st - The Kissaway Trail
Albums
The Kissaway Trail (2007)
Sleep Mountain (2010)
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2nd - Florence + The Machine
Album
Lungs (2009)
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3nd- The Temper Trap
Conditions (2009)
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