Bowerbirds was a treat to watch at Bowery Ballroom, when they opened for Ladybug Transistor and The Rosebuds last night. The sound that is captured in their recordings is even more elegant live, and the performance reaffirmed the fine quality of Phil Moore’s and Beth Tacular’s voices. It was a soothing set faithful to the recordings, rarely interrupted by any talking. “In Our Talons,” with its energetic chorus, was beautifully rendered. Friend Mark Paulson was also present, switching between bass drum and violin (Beth switched between bass drum and accordian). For the last song they played “Dark Horse,” and two members of the Rosebuds came out to sing the exiting refrain. Almost half the space had filled up through their early set, but it shouldn’t be long till Bowerbirds plays to a devoted audience.
Next to its performance space, Union Hall has one of the most beautiful bathrooms. Stylish sinks against one wall and unisex stalls against another. These have full-length, wooden doors for privacy, with a sign that changes between “Vacant” and “Occupied.” Here, Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes claimed, was a pervert on the loose. He began the show by asking if anyone had seen him. He explained: a woman had opened a door that said “Vacant,” and the man inside had responded, “Oh, come in.” When the singer asked if the pervert was in the audience, several hands went up.
Alex Delivery video and other curious incidents after the jump.
In the midst of Beirut-induced buzz I might’ve under-emphasized the merit of Final Fantasy sets. Here’s some evidence from the May 8th show. He played this after wondering out loud if he should play a downer, and before Beirut joined him for the last song, “That’s When the Audience Died.”
hooves on the turf is a mostly-music blog based out of brooklyn. i can be reached at hoovesontheturf [at] gmail [dot] com - please send me your lovely music as an attached mp3 or an mp3 link. if i like what you send, i'll be sure to ask for more.
