Martedì 20 Nov 2007, 15:56

Thu 15 Nov – Architecture in Helsinki

a very lackluster show. droves of 17 year olds lost so far down the path of social irony that they were stylistically indiscernible from used car salesmen and sorority girls, with a dash of counter culture for good measure. maybe i'm out of touch with the new orleans "scene" and those kids were actually selling cars and and beer-bonging away their modesty, self-respect and vaginal elasticity.

in any case, the opening bands:

panther. a two man band, with what sounded like a 505 producing the music, and actual drums for the beat. annoying as fuck after the first song because apparently it's really cool and musically integral to never turn the delay off on your vocals.

glass candy. self described on stage as "one of those synth dance rock bands with a girl singer", which should have been our first clue, but we tried, oh how hard we tried. basically, the most annoying band i can remember having seen. the singer dedicated each song before playing it to any number of random people, at one point claiming that "this song is dedicated to someone who should be on stage right now but isn't". the most inane stage presence and fucking stupid dancing, followed by 14 kraftwerk covers.

finally it's time for AIC to take the stage. they play mostly new stuff, which is fine if you're trying to push an album, but i really don't enjoy the new album in the least. still, i could have gotten over it, but it's never so simple. the sound was awful. muddy, overly trebly with shadowy secret bass lines. aside from all the kids who wouldn't shut the fuck up, i'm not sure how much of the show i would have heard through the fucked up e.q.

so i just quietly drank and danced on an ottoman with my friends and tried to ignore the fact that i was surrounded by a preschool of terrible dressers and obnoxious disrespectful twerps who apparently come to shows to scream about how they go to the gym with their friends.

we left with haste after finishing our secret whiskeys and japanese celebration ales, and had a much better time watching a local folk act at the circle bar, my lady friend and i switching outfits in the bathroom and then fucking things up at the saint. i must be getting old.