ADEMLP - October 2011

I remembered a notebook this time! Accordingly, I have added a list of all the bands that were played tonight below. I think in general, I liked more of the songs that were played last month, but there were some very good artists today, specifically Brae and Fur. Illymack was also pretty good. The song that was played had a bit of a country feel to it, which I appreciated. I also liked the jazz feel to Nick Waterhouse. He was compared to "ADELE after going to the dentist" by one of the attendees, and while I'm not sure I can agree with the dentist part, he does remind me of ADELE. I also quite liked Horse Feathers. They had something of a folk feel. It was also what was described as "pretty." I would describe it as having a very light-hearted violin part.

Brae closed out the show this month. He's very good. He had great stage presence and he's a very talented percussionist. Seeing the drummer sing was also very refreshing. I think it contributed to me preferring his live music over his album because it brought some focus to the percussion, and my favorite part of Brae's songs are the drums; he writes great beats. They played a few songs from a forthcoming album, and they made me very excited for it.

Brae performing at the Listening Party

List of bands that Ann Delisi played tonight:

• Nick Waterhouse
• AUSTRA
• Horse Feathers
• Tai Chi Swayze
• illymack
• MGMT
• Fur
• How to Dress Well
• Doop and the Inside Outlaws
• Brae
• Florence + the Machine
• Mike Vial
• Supreme Beings of Leisure
• Mike Doughty
• Mayer Hawthorne
• Kate Bush

Photos courtesy of Robby Amin

Beirut!

Okay, what the hell, Detroit? I get that you didn't come to see Laeitia Sadier, and I get that she wasn't very good, but don't talk over her entire set. She even asked the audience to quiet down a bit (which...really? "Please pay attention to me"?), and everyone kept talking. Come on, now, guys, show a little respect. Next time, if you don't want to listen to the opener, then don't come for the opener.

Although in the attendees' defense, she really wasn't great. She had no stage presence, the music wasn't exciting, the sound system didn't sound great, and she apparently didn't even look at anyone, at least in the front row. It was just a generally underwhelming performance. I feel like she would have fit better in a coffee shop or a restaurant.

On the other hand, the venue was pretty nice. Despite the poor sound at the beginning, which I would attribute to mis-calibrated levels, the sound system sounded great for the rest of the night, and the decor and general environment at Royal Oak Music Theatre was really cool.

I didn't actually know a whole lot about Beirut going into this concert. All I really knew was what I had heard on their myspace, which didn't really get me too excited. But they really put on an amazing live show! All of them are very talented multi-instrumentalists. I liked the rotating brass section. They managed to get through a French horn, two trumpets, a trombone, and a tuba over the course of their setlist. I think my favorite, though, was probably the accordion.

They also did a great job with the lighting. But I might just be a sucker for synchronized music and lights. I can't say that the show was as good as Muse or Mutemath, but it is definitely worth going to a Beirut show if you get the chance.