Concert Tue May 20 2008

Blood On The Wall vs. the Pop-Rock Narcotic

Make no mistake, the trio Blood On The Wall are a buzz band -- as in they buzz, howl, grind, and spew out the jams like nobody's biz. For that they've whipped up a small but deeply enthusiastic following; but their rep has yet to fully spread far from the thereabouts of their native Brooklyn. Aside from netting some attention from high-profile slots opening for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs back in 2006 and a spate of appearances at this year's SXSW, the band's unstable existence has kept them off the road a good bit over the past couple of years. Their third album, Liferz, came out on the Social Registry label some five months back and was greeted with yet another round of enthusiastic responses, but the band is only now getting around to taking it across the country on an extensive tour.

Judging from how lathery some folks have been getting over the band, it seems that Blood On The Wall are giving critics and fans something that they've been wanting but haven't been getting from the recent glut of punk-funk/art-rock/navel-gazing indie fodder. Chances are that it's the way the trio delivers blasts of deliriously frayed and paint-blistering guitar spuzzeroo; the sort that's backed up with all manner of twisting and flailing in the rhythm department. Admittedly, BOTW's sound very much harkens back to the glory days of the late-80s post-hardcore/underground scene (think Dinosaur Jr., early Sonic Youth, Scratch Acid, The Pixies, et al.); meaning that those more seasoned listeners who possessed open ears about two decades ago will probably feel very much at home -- and maybe gratefully so.

Blood On The Wall play at the Empty Bottle this Friday night. The evening's opening bill sports Philly "ambient-pop" shamblers The War On Drugs, with local spacerock stalwarts Grimble Grumble on hand to get things started. 1035 N. Western. The show starts at 10 PM, admission is $8.

[mp3]: Blood On The Wall - "Hibernation"
[video]: Blood On The Wall - "Reunite On Ice"
[video]: Blood On The Wall - "Baby Likes To Holler"

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Blood On The Wall has canceled, but The War on Drugs and Grimble Grumble are still playing.

- Graham Sanford