(Talk Soup reference, anyone? see bottom if you don't get it.)
A respectable mix of whippersnappers and older indie enthusiasts crammed around Club Dada's stage on Saturday night for powerful sets from both Jersey's Titus Andronicus and Los Campesinos!, Wales' surnammed counterparts to the Ramones. I kept hearing that Dada's stage was incredibly tiny, and yet all 7 of LC! felt comfortable in their own personal sqaure foot (with the exception of Gareth, who finished the set with each foot on a monitor, stood up tall).
Considering the differences in their sounds and styles, TA and LC! matched each other in energy and drive for their material. I was particularly impressed with Titus Andronicus, who payed past the fuzziness of their debut record as frontman Patrick Stickles took chances seemingly beyond his vocal abilities. Highlighting the set was a medley of tunes amounting at times to high school-level drama in its most epic form ("you'll always be a loser" seemed an endless chorus). Though the audience didn't flock to the floor for TA, the band slammed through their catalog quickly and seemed to make believers of those listening.
Los Campesinos! were equally on point, finding few moments necessary to catch their breath. As with a group of their size, instruments popped in and out of the mix, with Gareth Campesino's vocals. somewhat shoddy for brief stretches and probably overshadowed slightly by Stickles in the first set, sitting atop as the consistent peak of the sound. Maybe he was fazed by just how many people were singing along. I know I was: Los Campesinos are no flash in the pan, but their emergence has been quicker than most realize, probably because they released two LPs last year. After their set, a fan commented that they "wish it could have gone on for another hour." Does she realize that they just don't have any more material yet?
AS PROMISED:
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