Concert post!
I'm not really sleepy, so I'm going to make a concert post, because you know that's just the way I role. Plus it was a really fucking sweet show. Islands = ZOMG I WANT TO BE IN THEIR BAND.
We got there too early because we ended up finding the venue pretty easily, but luckily it meant parking right in their parking lot, which was nice, and it gave us time to eat. We had fries. Mmm, I could go for some more of those fries right now... so yeah, we were kinda early (like... an hour or so before doors) and then doors opened late. They started on time, though. I really did not at all enjoy the first band, which was End of Fashion. They played well, but their music was not very great and their performance was mediocre. I'm sorry, End of Fashion. I liked your Australian accents, though.
Then we waited and I really wanted to sit. They started setting up for Islands and I saw the likes of a banjo, a bass clarinet, some regular clarinets, some violins, guitars, keyboards and numerous other amusing and seemingly random instruments. I didn't know much about them before except that 2 of them were of The Unicorns (a band I kinda like) and I'd heard a few of their tracks. I also read a concert review that said they had matching outfits and one of them threw all of the instruments into the audience. I didn't really know what to expect.
We were then treated to the lot of them coming out in all white shirts and pants. One of the Asians had like a tuxedo shirt thingy on. He started clapping for the first song in pretty much awkward/amusing/awesome way I'd ever seen a person clap before. They started playing and the crowd got pretty into it. I'm forgetting like everything, but they were TOTALLY LOLZ AND SWEET.
Some highlights... the guitarist right in front of me (I ended up right against the stage because the girl in front of me left and I had James' coat right on the stage between the amp and myself which was comfy) yeah, the guitarist/banjo/clarinet/bass clarinet player in front of me was so smiley and excited about everything. He was dancing at the beginning which was sweet. He looked at me for a couple of seconds while he was playing his banjo and was so blissfully happy looking and shaking it - it made me ridiculously happy. And he was wearing all white... his general countenance was just great. Just picture that guy right in front of you. Playing a fucking banjo.
They also played at song that had two clarinets playing the "shoop de doop de doop doo dooo dooooo do doo" part right before they go "tell me more" in that song in Grease. You know the tune I'm talking about. As they played that, the drummer stood up with his sticks and was all smiley and conducting them. They were just so smiley and happy the whole time but in an adorable and not stupid way.
At one point one of the Asians was walking all over the stage with one of those shakey blue ball things. Yup, they had a lot of different instruments. And three of them knew how to play a lot of them.
Plus they had one really tiny guy who was playing what I'm pretty sure was a cheap-o Squier, and he had a beard. He was the one right in front of me. Added awesome.
At one point Katie went "OMG THERE'S A BLACK GUY!" Yup, there was a black guy. I think some people went pretty far into the concert before noticing him.
Some guys were being assholes apparently at one point. They got addressed and asked to come on stage, but didn't. The next song was dedicated to them. Why do the "fuckers" always get songs dedicated to them at concerts?
Anyways. The crowd was really into it. When they said "this is going to be our last song" the whole crowd went AWWWWWWWWWW! which I don't think I'd ever seen for an opener. Then they announced they would be back in May. I really hope it's all ages because ZOMG they were amusing! I don't think you can get the full effect of the sweetness of this band unless you see them live. I think even if I had abosolutely despised the other bands, they were worth it. So LOLZ.
Oh, they played Abominable Snow last and the end goes "bye bye bye" so they were all waving to the crowd and the crowd was waving back and they made cheesy faces as they walked off stage waving. Awwws.
I'm kinda too lazy to go into Metric right now. Basically... the sound was shit and you couldn't hear any of the lyrics. True for all of the bands, actually, but especially for Metric. The venue just had shit sound. But the crowd seemed really excited and into it and from where I was, not in an annoying way. I was surrounded by excited, dancing people. It was good. Except the girl right beside me liked to sing the slow ones really loud so that I could not hear Emily at all and only heard her. And she messed up a bit. Which was annoying.
Even with shit sound, they put on a great show. I think a lot had to do with the crowd. At the beginning Emily was like "fuck this barrier" and took out the division between the all ages and 21+ sections. Then she had two big poles and a big cloth thing on stage that she didn't know what to do with. But that soon got taken care of. Erm... she did about a thousand stage dives. Or so it seemed. And was really in your face to the audience, which was cool. Probably the most awkward/spastic performer I'd ever seen. She was... interesting. The guitarist right in front of me was pretty amusing, but at the beginning he kept staring at me, or so it seemed, and it freaked me out. Still, he was LOLZ and actually good. He had a skinny tie and a pudgy little belly and a beard. He was cool. During Dead Disco in the encore, they had a dance party on stage and he made funny/excited faces with the people who came up to him to get pics while he was playing. I thought that was cute.
Anyway... yeah, I got really into a couple of the songs. I adore Poster of a Girl (and I don't really know why), which is the main reason I even like Metric. If I really, really like one song from a band, generally it makes me like the rest of their stuff okay. I still don't really know their stuff, but I thought they'd put on a decent show and they didn't disappoint. Dead Disco was ridiculous - it went on for fucking ever. Total overkill. I'd heard that it was best to leave before, but pressed against the stage and kinda trapped and tired, I didn't really feel up to it. It started off normal, and then Emily took a stage dive (or several) and sang some weird lyrics and spent like a minute buttoning up her dress (as she was sitting on the stage right next to us) and the bassist did a stage dive, as well, and was on the floor playing a tamborine and there was a lot of noise and it was loud and long and there was a dance party on stage and basically it was kinda exhilerating, but mostly annoying. Oh, and the guitarist who was right in front of me stood up on the amp that I had been laying on/was all pressed against and his ankle was basically right where my hand was resting, which was kinda a cool experience. I'd never been underneath someone rocking out before.
When Dead Disco finally fucking ended, I was so in pain from my band and soooo sweaty and my legs felt like jello, and we all kinda wanted to get the hell out of there. I'd never felt such a rush sitting down before. I can't even describe it. It was like I felt so much of my body. It was weird - like the buzz from the show mixed with going from really hot to really cold mixed with pain and numbness and the feeling of OMG I'M FINALLY SITTING.
Then we got lost and had like no gas, but managed to get home.
Oh, on the way, we got lost, too. And drove around twice trying to find Flint Ave., which I might add was always exactly where I said it was and nobody believed me.
SO... to sum up... End of Fashion sucked, the sound was shit, Metric's actual sound wasn't great, but overall it was one of the best shows I've been to. Maybe just from sheer buzz. Sometimes you just get that from a show... I think it had something to do with Islands being so LOLZ and the fact that there was such good energy from the people around me and for the most part, they weren't pissing me off. ... I can still picture the banjo player smiling at me and being so dancey/into playing that banjo the best he could... such a good moment. He was just so excited!
James and Katie were also cool to see a show with. You guys are cool! Woot! Exciting!
Okay, this is long. I still don't feel like sleeping. That's the thing. But I don't really feel like doing anything else... I need to stop typing, though.
We got there too early because we ended up finding the venue pretty easily, but luckily it meant parking right in their parking lot, which was nice, and it gave us time to eat. We had fries. Mmm, I could go for some more of those fries right now... so yeah, we were kinda early (like... an hour or so before doors) and then doors opened late. They started on time, though. I really did not at all enjoy the first band, which was End of Fashion. They played well, but their music was not very great and their performance was mediocre. I'm sorry, End of Fashion. I liked your Australian accents, though.
Then we waited and I really wanted to sit. They started setting up for Islands and I saw the likes of a banjo, a bass clarinet, some regular clarinets, some violins, guitars, keyboards and numerous other amusing and seemingly random instruments. I didn't know much about them before except that 2 of them were of The Unicorns (a band I kinda like) and I'd heard a few of their tracks. I also read a concert review that said they had matching outfits and one of them threw all of the instruments into the audience. I didn't really know what to expect.
We were then treated to the lot of them coming out in all white shirts and pants. One of the Asians had like a tuxedo shirt thingy on. He started clapping for the first song in pretty much awkward/amusing/awesome way I'd ever seen a person clap before. They started playing and the crowd got pretty into it. I'm forgetting like everything, but they were TOTALLY LOLZ AND SWEET.
Some highlights... the guitarist right in front of me (I ended up right against the stage because the girl in front of me left and I had James' coat right on the stage between the amp and myself which was comfy) yeah, the guitarist/banjo/clarinet/bass clarinet player in front of me was so smiley and excited about everything. He was dancing at the beginning which was sweet. He looked at me for a couple of seconds while he was playing his banjo and was so blissfully happy looking and shaking it - it made me ridiculously happy. And he was wearing all white... his general countenance was just great. Just picture that guy right in front of you. Playing a fucking banjo.
They also played at song that had two clarinets playing the "shoop de doop de doop doo dooo dooooo do doo" part right before they go "tell me more" in that song in Grease. You know the tune I'm talking about. As they played that, the drummer stood up with his sticks and was all smiley and conducting them. They were just so smiley and happy the whole time but in an adorable and not stupid way.
At one point one of the Asians was walking all over the stage with one of those shakey blue ball things. Yup, they had a lot of different instruments. And three of them knew how to play a lot of them.
Plus they had one really tiny guy who was playing what I'm pretty sure was a cheap-o Squier, and he had a beard. He was the one right in front of me. Added awesome.
At one point Katie went "OMG THERE'S A BLACK GUY!" Yup, there was a black guy. I think some people went pretty far into the concert before noticing him.
Some guys were being assholes apparently at one point. They got addressed and asked to come on stage, but didn't. The next song was dedicated to them. Why do the "fuckers" always get songs dedicated to them at concerts?
Anyways. The crowd was really into it. When they said "this is going to be our last song" the whole crowd went AWWWWWWWWWW! which I don't think I'd ever seen for an opener. Then they announced they would be back in May. I really hope it's all ages because ZOMG they were amusing! I don't think you can get the full effect of the sweetness of this band unless you see them live. I think even if I had abosolutely despised the other bands, they were worth it. So LOLZ.
Oh, they played Abominable Snow last and the end goes "bye bye bye" so they were all waving to the crowd and the crowd was waving back and they made cheesy faces as they walked off stage waving. Awwws.
I'm kinda too lazy to go into Metric right now. Basically... the sound was shit and you couldn't hear any of the lyrics. True for all of the bands, actually, but especially for Metric. The venue just had shit sound. But the crowd seemed really excited and into it and from where I was, not in an annoying way. I was surrounded by excited, dancing people. It was good. Except the girl right beside me liked to sing the slow ones really loud so that I could not hear Emily at all and only heard her. And she messed up a bit. Which was annoying.
Even with shit sound, they put on a great show. I think a lot had to do with the crowd. At the beginning Emily was like "fuck this barrier" and took out the division between the all ages and 21+ sections. Then she had two big poles and a big cloth thing on stage that she didn't know what to do with. But that soon got taken care of. Erm... she did about a thousand stage dives. Or so it seemed. And was really in your face to the audience, which was cool. Probably the most awkward/spastic performer I'd ever seen. She was... interesting. The guitarist right in front of me was pretty amusing, but at the beginning he kept staring at me, or so it seemed, and it freaked me out. Still, he was LOLZ and actually good. He had a skinny tie and a pudgy little belly and a beard. He was cool. During Dead Disco in the encore, they had a dance party on stage and he made funny/excited faces with the people who came up to him to get pics while he was playing. I thought that was cute.
Anyway... yeah, I got really into a couple of the songs. I adore Poster of a Girl (and I don't really know why), which is the main reason I even like Metric. If I really, really like one song from a band, generally it makes me like the rest of their stuff okay. I still don't really know their stuff, but I thought they'd put on a decent show and they didn't disappoint. Dead Disco was ridiculous - it went on for fucking ever. Total overkill. I'd heard that it was best to leave before, but pressed against the stage and kinda trapped and tired, I didn't really feel up to it. It started off normal, and then Emily took a stage dive (or several) and sang some weird lyrics and spent like a minute buttoning up her dress (as she was sitting on the stage right next to us) and the bassist did a stage dive, as well, and was on the floor playing a tamborine and there was a lot of noise and it was loud and long and there was a dance party on stage and basically it was kinda exhilerating, but mostly annoying. Oh, and the guitarist who was right in front of me stood up on the amp that I had been laying on/was all pressed against and his ankle was basically right where my hand was resting, which was kinda a cool experience. I'd never been underneath someone rocking out before.
When Dead Disco finally fucking ended, I was so in pain from my band and soooo sweaty and my legs felt like jello, and we all kinda wanted to get the hell out of there. I'd never felt such a rush sitting down before. I can't even describe it. It was like I felt so much of my body. It was weird - like the buzz from the show mixed with going from really hot to really cold mixed with pain and numbness and the feeling of OMG I'M FINALLY SITTING.
Then we got lost and had like no gas, but managed to get home.
Oh, on the way, we got lost, too. And drove around twice trying to find Flint Ave., which I might add was always exactly where I said it was and nobody believed me.
SO... to sum up... End of Fashion sucked, the sound was shit, Metric's actual sound wasn't great, but overall it was one of the best shows I've been to. Maybe just from sheer buzz. Sometimes you just get that from a show... I think it had something to do with Islands being so LOLZ and the fact that there was such good energy from the people around me and for the most part, they weren't pissing me off. ... I can still picture the banjo player smiling at me and being so dancey/into playing that banjo the best he could... such a good moment. He was just so excited!
James and Katie were also cool to see a show with. You guys are cool! Woot! Exciting!
Okay, this is long. I still don't feel like sleeping. That's the thing. But I don't really feel like doing anything else... I need to stop typing, though.