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Review Sat Oct 25 2008
Review: Secret Machines @ Metro, 10/24
Secret Machines (photo by Kirstie Shanley)
If the Secret Machines didn't have such a strong reputation for putting on dynamic live shows, one would be inclined to believe that their stage setup at Friday's Metro show was just an elaborate distraction to keep the attention off of the music. But as they've proven at numerous Chicago shows over the last few years, they bring the heat on stage. However, what would be the fate of their music live without Benjamin Curtis, who left to concentrate on School of Seven Bells, and in support of their weakest release yet? Luckily, newcomer Phil Karnats fills in very well as Curtis' replacement. He is not just a hired gun; his play certainly fits the Secret Machines' style of psychedelic pop music.
The Dears, who opened and were neither exciting nor terrible (photo by Kirstie Shanley)
What was troubling, though, was the stark contrast between old and new material. When the band drew from old songs, they appeared energetic, even if they hardly moved from imaginary boundaries in their ribbon enclosure, and the audience was in their corner. Selections from 2004's Now Here is Nowhere, especially "Nowhere Again", were full and vibrant. The polarizing Ten Silver Drops' tunes sounded like powerhouses. On the other hand, songs from the new self-titled album were received with a smattering of applause and what seemed like general disinterest from much of the crowd, at least compared to everything else. The easy low points were "The Walls Are Starting to Crack" and the horrendous "The Fire Is Waiting" - an overblown homage to tedious 70s psych-rock that endangered life in Metro. Momentum that had been built between audience and band was gone three minutes into the dragging riffs and meandering percussion. Chatter all over Metro sparked up and minds wandered ("Why do they have far more amps than instruments?", "Is it raining outside again?", "Why has this guy just taken the same shot 50 times?"). It continued on and on, probably for fifteen minutes, even though it felt like much longer. And a show with a fast-approaching curfew leaves little time to dick around. When they mercifully stopped, the trio walked off the stage as if that was a suitable end.
Secret Machines (photo by Kirstie Shanley)
Now, I'm absolutely convinced that the roars that followed weren't for what had just happened but instead for what was about to happen. As bad as the set had ended, the inevitable encore was its perfect counter. "Alone, Jealous and Stoned", "Lightning Blue Eyes", and "First Wave Intact" (all old, of course) were amazing. It was like in the two minutes they were off stage they remembered how to excite a thousand people. They were heavy without trudging and meticulous without boring. Josh Garza had direction while brutalizing the drums. Phil Karnats and Brandon Curtis looked to be enjoying themselves. The audience was ecstatic as they rocked out. And that's how to end a performance.
tankboy / October 27, 2008 9:45 AM
Dude, were we at the same show? that was by far the most energetic I've ever seen that band. And the new stuff killed live.