Yes, one more show in
Austin...
Artist: Merchandise
Venue: The Sidewinder
(outside)
Location: Austin, Texas
Date: 14 June 2017
Opening Acts: Street
Themes, B Boys
Setlist:
01. Lonesome Sound
01. Lonesome Sound
02. Unknown →
03. Schoolyard
04. Right Back to the
Start
05. Green Lady
06. In Nightmare Room
07. Little Killer
08. True Monument
09. Flower of Sex
10. Anxiety's Door
11. Unknown Dead Side
cover →
12. My Dream Is Yours
Street Themes
started off the night with a brief set of sludgy hard rock and metal.
I detected a trace of The Jesus & Mary Chain in the drummer's
cocksure vocal style and the cacophonous, steady throttle of the
instrumentation. The heavy feedback and effects made for some
interesting noise, but the aggression didn't work for me, and the
vocals were mixed too low to understand a word.
[Street Themes.]
I was initially
disappointed by the goofy, simple punk vibe of B Boys,
but I gradually realized that they were actually playing a very
tight, measured, mechanical,
constrained brand of punk that has largely fallen out of vogue since
the late 70s. They played direct,
minimalist, uptempo songs about mundane matters in unusual
perspectives. They reminded me thoroughly of Wire or even early
Talking Heads. The two vocalists weren't particularly melodious, but I
actually like their
disassociated technique.
[B Boys.]
I saw Merchandise
twice
just three months ago at SXSW. Despite their complaints of lacking
their full setup, they still played strong sets that incorporated
live arrangements of new material and an overview of the
best of their back catalog.
This time, I was hoping for a more thorough set with some deeper cuts
and more time for the new songs.
While
they did end up playing four songs from A
Corpse Wired for Sound,
they only played three recognizable songs that I didn't see at the
recent SXSW shows: "Right Back to the Start", "Green
Lady", and "Flower of Sex". However,
they
also
threw
in two shorter pieces that appeared to be covers. I couldn't identify
the first, but the second was announced as a Dead Side cover.
Otherwise,
I was left wanting more. "Schoolyard" was
a great throwback to their earlier days, but nothing else was much of
a surprise. Furthermore, they didn't even play for an hour. They
stopped a little after 10pm without an encore despite that the venue
had claimed the show would go until 10:30.
Instrumentally,
Merchandise was in top form. Dave Vassalotti always brings his best
game, and new drummer Leo Suarez balanced the clean and processed
drum sounds
well. He also seemed to be driving the samples, which helped fill out
the songs a bit more than I would have guessed. They were mixed well
and never overwhelmed the live instruments, which was just the right
thing for their sound. Bassist Patrick Brady contributed backing
vocals to several songs, which also helped expand their sound.
The
weak link was unfortunately frontman Carson Cox. It was his 31st
birthday and he appeared to have indulged in a few substances. This
wasn't the first time I've seen his recklessness negatively impact a
show (namely the 2015 SXSW set I saw), and while he didn't perform terribly, his
vocals were a bit sloppy and slurred. I appreciated his good mood and
humor (he introduced the band as being from El Paso), but he seemed
to be taking the show for granted.
When
Merchandise get the balance right, they shine and soar. They rarely
fall completely flat, but sometimes they do misstep. I've enjoyed
watching them grow rapidly in the last few years from the first time
I saw them at Fun Fun Fun Fest in 2013, and I appreciate that they can still play
some of the older songs with full force. They still performed a
convincing set this time around, but I've come to expect just a
little more from them.
[Merchandise.]
Scores:
Street Themes: C-
B Boys: B+
Merchandise: B-
