burned all my notebooks...what good are notebooks: echo

Monday, September 12, 2016

The Return of P.S. Eliot

P.S. Eliot

Upset

Miserable

The Echo, Echo Park, LA

09 September, 2016

Celebrating the new release of the band's history, 2007-2011, (via Don Giovanni Records), the revival of PS Eliot is a welcome surprise. Given the Crutchfield sisters' penchant for moving forward, it was totally unexpected, but with most of their current fan base likely having never seen the band, it easily escaped the usual reunion show webs of nostalgia. At one point, Katie Crutchfield stated that their only LA appearance was a house show in Long Beach, and marveled at the packed Echo. Along with sister Allison, Will Granger, and Katherine Simonetti, the quartet was sharp and focused tearing through their catalog with a visible glee, and little rust evident in this tour kickoff.

Doing the opening honors was SF doom merchants Miserable, led by Kristina Esfandiari, (see also: King Woman), making a rare LA appearance. With a stark, intense set, they raised an admirable bar for the evening. Local favorites Upset filled in the middle without missing a beat, their buzz saw pop providing liftoff, and the bonus was getting to hear a clutch of new songs, which hopefully will be out next year.

P.S. Eliot

Upset

Miserable

Monday, March 7, 2016

Protomartyr/Chastity Belt in LA

PROTOMARTYR

CHASTITY BELT

SHARK TOYS

THE ECHO, LA

03 MARCH, 2016

Protomartyr (Detroit)

Chastity Belt (Seattle)

Shark Toys (LA)

For the second consecutive Thursday, it was another winning bill from top to bottom at The Echo. The highly anticipated appearance of Detroit's Protomartyr lived up to the hype and then some, and it was a double shot of West Coast tour love from the label Hardly Art, with our favorites Chastity Belt making it back to LA. Local wonders Shark Toys opened the night with a brutally minimal punk set that made our hearts flutter. Chastity Belt, whom we first caught out in Lancaster, CA and then again supporting Courtney Barnett at the Roxy, followed up with a set heavily pegged to last year's Time To Go Home, but found time to feature 3 (three!) new songs. While the sound was a touch wobbly at times, the band interplay remains a joy to behold as they go from strength to strength. Protomartyr took the crowd by the neck and shook them, over the course of a brutally effective set, evidenced best by the crowd damn near drowning out singer Joe Casey at the climax of "Pontiac '87". Truly an unforgettable set.