Land of Talk
The Canadians owned McCarren Park Thursday night. The Montreal band, Land of Talk kicked off the shows at the park for Northside Festival. After battling with improperly tuned guitars, lead singer Elizabeth Powell sung a variety of soft hymns and haunting choruses that had the audience swaying to the music. The group’s sound – somewhere between indie rock and dream pop – is often compared to The Cranberries and Fleetwood Mac revisited, but their music is more transient and varying. There are compact arrangements, then moments where the instruments sounds like old record recordings, then Powell’s vocals blast your eardrums. Besides the sound issue, which was no fault of LoT, the only disappointment was the length of the set.
Land of Talk
Land of Talk
Land of Talk
Wolf Parade
More concert goers flooded the park to see the recently reunited indie rock band, Wolf Parade. The band had been on an indefinite hiatus since 2011 and announced its return in early 2016. On stage, the group brought as much energy and vigor as pre-2011 performances. Spencer Krug belted out lyrics and Dan Boeckner stalked the stage playing his guitar. In addition to Wolf Parade classics, the audience heard tracks off the four piece’s recent, albeit short, album (EP 4). Wolf Parade previously held a four-night residency at Bowery Ballroom in mid-May and you can catch them again on the festival circuit this summer and fall.
Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade
Acid Dad
The New York pysch-punk band opened for Diarrhea Planet at Brooklyn Bowl. It’s a little unfair to say they “opened” for DP because these guys could easily have held the headline spot. The group’s notes reverberate and carry an electric fuzz that reminds you of an old school garage band. Their set was a trip- the kind where you are somewhere between relaxed and tense because you don’t know what to expect next, but it’s all good. Vaughn Hunt’s raspy voice vacillated between storyteller, lover and rock god while Kevin Walker brought the hard-hitting drums. Even the newest member, ‘Hot’ Sean Fahey held his own on the bass. Watching Danny Gomez bending backwards during the closing guitar riff made my knees hurt. After sixty minutes of head-banging the crowd was ready for the madness of Diarrhea Planet.
Acid Dad
Acid Dad
Acid Dad
Acid Dad
Diarrhea Planet
The Nashville rockers were on a high when they entered the Brooklyn Bowl stage. Yes, fans were going absolutely bananas and screaming at the top of their lungs, but a couple hours earlier Diarrhea Planet recorded a segment for Late Night with Seth Meyers. The performance at the bowling venue was rowdy, loud and messy. So messy in fact that we had to give it a separate review.
DP
Article: Alx Bear
