The Walkmen, live at Middle East downstairs on September 18, 2009
By DAVID BOFFA | September 23, 2009
Video: The Walkmen live at the Middle East downstairs on September 18
It was strange to see the sparse instrumentation from which NYC’s Walkmen drew their atmospheric, honey-dipped sound last Friday at the Middle East. One half-expects walls of antique organs and a throng of guitars, but only a single keyboard and a reverb-thick hollow-body limned the luscious textures of sonically dense favorites like “On the Water.”
The performance was subdued to match. Frontman Hamilton Leithauser, fresh-faced as a prep-school kid with his open leather jacket and white button-down shirt, stood at the mic and deftly belted verses about too-long days and decades that fly by, but barely moved a muscle, save for his jaws. Meanwhile, guitarist Paul Maroon, sporting a sweater and a two-day scruff, only managed the slightest of head-bobs during “Canadian Girl,” even as three trumpets and a trombone harmonized with his equally scruffy guitar fuzz. It all sounded splendid, but just a little too laid back — this is supposed to be a rock show, after all.
Things got more lively once Leithauser belted his seven-second note during “All Hands and the Cook,” a shot of raw passion that seemed to jar the band loose. Leithauser’s jacket and Maroon’s sweater were duly discarded before the scathing opening verse to “The Rat” (“You’ve got a nerve to be asking a favor/You’ve got a nerve to be calling my number”). And with this sudden injection of vigor, the single keyboard/single guitar combo suddenly sounded tenfold as strong. “In the New Year” was a tour-de-force of hollow-body bellows and sinuous organ melodies. Leithauser nearly bent over backward before roaring, “I know that it’s true/it’s gonna be a good year.” And as he sang it later in that same song, the Walkmen certainly “took [their] sweet time” warming up, but our patience was paid back in full.
Related:
Sweet Dichotomy, Slideshow: Joe Budden at Middle East Downstairs, Slideshow: Bajofondo at Middle East downstairs, More
- Sweet Dichotomy
No Age are a punk duo from Los Angeles. A week ago Monday at the Middle East downstairs, their clothes helped explain what they were up to.
- Slideshow: Joe Budden at Middle East Downstairs
At the Middle East Downstairs
- Slideshow: Bajofondo at Middle East downstairs
Photos from Bajofondo at the Middle East downstairs
- Review: The Thermals at the Middle East downstairs
You know summer's almost here when the pipes that snake along the low ceiling of the Middle East downstairs start beading up with sweat in the middle of a show.
- Slideshow: The Thermals at the Middle East downstairs
Portland's The Thermals at the Middle East downstairs
- Slideshow: Easy Star All-Stars at the Middle East downstairs
Easy Star All-Stars at the Middle East downstairs
- Photos: Eek-a-Mouse at the Middle East Downstairs
Eek-a-Mouse, live at the Middle East Downstairs, July 23, 2009
- Photo: Cymbals Eat Guitars at Middle East Downstairs
Cymbals Eat Guitars at Middle East Downstairs
- Photos: The Walkmen
The Walkmen live at the Middle East downstairs, September 18, 2009
- High On Fire | Snakes For The Divine
Joining a metal band as a young 'un is a bit like getting hired as a burger flipper: you may dream of one day becoming Ray Kroc, but after years of toil, grease, and ridicule, you'll probably settle for store manager.
- Xiu Xiu | Dear God, I Hate Myself
The reigning King of Discomfort, Jamie Stewart, and his new bandmate, Angela Seo (who took Cold Caveward–bound Caralee McElroy's place last year), recently released a video for this album's title track in which Seo forces herself to puke in front of the camera.
- Less
Topics:
Live Reviews
, Culture and Lifestyle, Clothing, Fashion and Style, More
, Culture and Lifestyle, Clothing, Fashion and Style, The Walkmen, The Walkmen, The Walkmen, Hamilton Leithauser, Hamilton Leithauser, Middle East Downstairs, Middle East Downstairs, Less