On the evening of April 8, the Black Seeds came to town bringing their dub-funk jams to Slimʻs in SF. I have been a fan of the Seeds ever since 2005 when I studied abroad down in NZ and tried, unsuccessfully to see them play a show in Chch.
Daniel Weetman and, somewhat obscured, Barnaby Weir front and center. They provide the vocals for the group and very much serve as the frontmen. They brought a lot of energy and the crowd really responded well. I am continually impressed by how well NZ bands seem to be able to attract people to concerts so far away from home!
I stood right in front of the brass section and jammed along with them all night long. I had a blast finally getting to listen to them live as the Seeds really do put on a good show. Also glad to hear a bunch of tracks of their newly released album! Thanks for stopping by guys!
Next up on April 21, the Naked and Famous graced the Warfield with their presence. As a band that gets regular airplay stateside, they certainly drew a very impressive sized crowd familiar with a lot of their music.
It took them a song or two to get the crowd into it, but boy did they have an impressive show with lights, screens and a captive audience.
You can tell Thom (guitarist/vocalist on the left) and Alisa (vocalist on the right) form the core, but the other bandmates really help to fill out the sound (particularly in the live setting). They played many of their hits off their debut album and worked in a few favourites off their earlier EPs which, while unfamiliar to most of the crowd, I found quite enjoyable (and a nice nod to their loyal fans).
They finished up with their big hit, "Young Blood" and the crowd went wild. Really brilliant performance and one of the better concerts, in terms of overall quality and crowd enthusiasm, that Iʻve been to in recent memory! Hope some folks can join me the next time they come to town!
And lastly, but not least, Midnight Youth at Brick & Mortar in SF.
Simon Oscroft (guitar) and Jeremy Redmore (vocals) brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm and they really come off well as a live act. Pity about the small crowd and surroundings (they clearly attracted a much smaller gathering compared to either the Seeds or TNAF) though I wonʻt complain too much because they didnʻt charge admission. Mustʻve been because they played late on a Tuesday night!
I have to single out Jeremy as having a great, impressive singing voice live. I had heard some live/acoustic mp3s and youtube videos but now I know for sure having heard in person. I hope they donʻt get too discouraged by the smallish crowd and will choose to come back in the future. Iʻd love to see them again and hear them play a longer set.
So it has been a while since I had the privilege of seeing some NZ bands in the Bay Area, but I can well and truly say the past month has made up for the lull. Always great to hear Kiwi bands playing in the States particularly since they all typically perform so well live. I truly hope there will be more gigs for Kiwi musicians in the future and I also hope that I can get more of my friends to come along too! Well, until next time, happy May (and thanks for the b-day wishes).
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