Tuesday’s Louis XIV show at the Hi-Dive could have been a buzzy bust. But instead the hot San Diego neo-glam-rock band brought the fury, proving that its music is more than just a red-hot studio-centric romp.
Louis XIV’s grinding, sexed-out rock is the real thing, and live the tracks jump into your lap and grind away. That the band played an intimate club made the show that much better.
“Paper Doll” and “Pledge of Allegiance” ruled the set until the band closed with the fiery “Finding Out True Love Is Blind” and encored with an extra-dirty “God Killed the Queen.” The 50-minute set glowed with intensity, and a gritty, mid-set respite from the overproduced glammy garage was a smart addition.
Denver’s The Swayback opened the show and it was soon obvious the post-punk trio just returned from tour. The sound was fierce and in-sync, especially during the ragers “Forewarned” and the excellent closer “Distinguished Guest at the Downtrodden Ball.”
– Ricardo Baca
Gram Rabbit
It’s fascinating to see a band play a festival such as South by Southwest or Coachella and then see the same band touring the U.S. just months later. It was obvious that all the stops they pulled out at the festival gig were ditched during the Denver tour stop, and while it makes sense, it’s disappointing.
Gram Rabbit conquered the toughest spot at Coachella 2005, the early afternoon mainstage slot. Its sound was refreshing, its energy was endless. But when Gram Rabbit played the Gothic Theatre, opening for Le Tigre on Tuesday, the Joshua Tree, Calif., band’s set fell flat.
Regardless of the smaller, cooler venue, Gram Rabbit seemed listless. Lead singer Jesika von Rabbit seemed more concerned with not mussing her red, skin-tight outfit than rocking out. Her entire performance was scripted, from the on-the-floor gyrations to the show-ending collapse, where she brought the keyboard down with her. She couldn’t have been more painfully obvious.
– Ricardo Baca
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Women dig Ben Harper.
That was, at least, the easy conclusion after wandering into the sea of sequins and bare, bronzed shoulders July 19 at the sold-out Fillmore Auditorium.
Harper, the sweet, poignant California blues-rocker, took his place front-and-center with his acoustic lap-steel guitar. Joined by his eclectic band The Innocent Criminals, Harper launched into a heady set that showcased his politically minded songwriting. The performer underscored that awareness during “Don’t Take That Attitude to Your Grave,” before getting into the reggae- and Calypso-infused “Excuse Me Mr.”
That song, from Harper’s second album, “Fight for Your Mind,” points to the entertainer’s Bob Marley influences. This show proved comparisons between Marley and Harper are more than indulgence. Consider the Lion of Zion flag that hung behind the Fillmore stage. Like Marley, Harper rebels against social norms with a sexy, smoky delivery that charms better than any love potion. And also like Marley, Harper brings black music, describing both the ugliness and beauty of the human condition, to a largely white, middle-class audience.
The glaring difference is that Harper cemented loyal, broad-based fans with critical support but without the kind of radio play and mainstream success Marley enjoyed before his death. Now, more than a decade into Harper’s recording career, concerts such as this one showcase an impressive body of work that takes on greater depth and meaning with time.
– Elana Ashanti Jefferson
