The Indianapolis octet Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos was only a few songs into its Jan. 19 set at the Larimer Lounge when the audience really got it. It was a beautiful moment when the band set into “Quiet Like a Mouse,” with its calculated chamber pop, and unleashed the song’s chorus.
Singer Richard Edwards’ voice naturally draws response, and when the song’s chorus built from the quiet to the blast of an eight-piece band, the audience was floored. And it didn’t stop there.
– Ricardo Baca
Basin Street
It was impossible to tell from the way this Texas trio lounged around its pitcher watching “The Bachelor: Paris” at the back of the 15th Street Tavern on Monday night that its members were capable of the gospel-soul vocals and Southern rock fury they unleashed while opening for The Rounders and Handsome Bobby.
On a night when the Tavern was downright sleepy, these brothers applied rugged punk-abilly to subjects ranging from mullets to presidential politics.
It’s too bad Denver may not see this band pass through again soon. Bassist Reggie Jackson plans to go back to school (and give his carpel tunnel syndrome a break), guitarist Jermaine Jackson is bound for Alaska, and drummer Freddie Jackson is pursuing a side project. The guys do say that the coming hiatus is meant to refuel their creative spirits so they can reassemble and make more goofy rock ‘n’ roll in the future.
– Elana Ashanti Jefferson
The English Beat
The English Beat, as good as it sounded on Jan. 20 at the Bluebird, committed a cardinal sin – one even worse than Dave Wakeling touring without Ranking Roger or any of the band’s other founders (which is what he’s doing on this tour).
Wakeling started strong with “I Confess,” “Rough Rider” and the potent “Mirror in the Bathroom.” But 90 minutes later, Wakeling closed the evening’s encore with “Mirror” Take 2, saying that some people might have missed it earlier.
Was he out of his head? No. Wakeling was sober and on point in his performance, especially “Save It for Later,” which sounded as fresh as it did in 1981. Still, the pathetic repeat lessened his band’s legacy in a “this-is-all-we-got” kinda way.
– Ricardo Baca
Tom Heinl
Portland, Ore.-based singer-songwriter Tom Heinl stayed relentlessly on the mic at his Tuesday night Hi-Dive show, stopping only to rearrange the cadre of weird instruments and props onstage. He kept every moment filled with music or amusing banter, at times sounding like a preoccupied child mumbling to himself between songs.
Heinl’s deep baritone, agile acoustic picking and clever lyrics united during “IHOP,” his paean to that shrine to pancakes we all know and love. The rocking chair, fake fireplace and karaoke machine that surrounded him seemed to vibrate as he lifted his clenched fist to the smoky stage lights and screamed “2 a.m.!”
– John Wenzel
The Milkshakes
The Milkshakes played a dangerously fun set at Blue Ice on Monday.
The loose punk duo played as a trio with a bass player who admitted off the bat, “I don’t know any of the songs.” And he mostly didn’t. He played off singer-guitarist David McGhee’s strings, which he eyed throughout the longish (for them) set, and his off lines were ideal for this punk rock cacophony. The music is rough, novel and almost beautiful in its chaos. But it’s also best in short doses, and The Milkshakes would have been better in a short, bright blast.
– Ricardo Baca
