Denver is a long way from New York — 1,779 miles to be exact — but that doesn’t mean it has to be the relative we never visit. All this week we’ll have news and updates from the annual in the Big Apple, where a few of our local friends are playing/partying/eating real deli sandwiches as we speak.
“You know what — I’m just realizing that all of our song titles are really insulting,” said drummer/lead vocalist Steven Ansell last night at in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. “I think we’re actually closing out the set with a song called ‘You All Can Go F*** yourself.’ I hope you enjoy.”
The British post-punk duo, consisting of Ansell on drums and counterpart Laura-Mary Carter on guitar, may be a bit crass or thematically mopey with song titles such as “Count Me Out,” “We Get Bored” and “One More Empty Chair.” Their hard-hitting leave-it-all-on-the-stage performance on Day 3 of the CMJ Music Marathon was saturated with energy, keeping the entire crowd fully engaged throughout the duration, and converting the small venue into one massive stage.
Following a disappointing round of shows on Day 2, Rock ‘n’ Roll was the name of the game last night.
Later in the evening, Denver’s took the stage at — a beautiful old-man bar, complete with bocce courts, oil-paintings of men with fezzes and a strangely robust array of taxidermy. And to say that the six piece was anything short of explosive would be a serious dig at their performance. But what may be more impressive than their high-energy and skillful chops is their comfort with the intangibles. The chemistry of the group was palpable and lead vocalist Hayley Helmericks has the voice. You know what I mean: that spine-rattling female Rock ‘n’ Roll voice that intoxicates the audience and facilitates musical picture-painting. All in all, it was a stellar performance from the Colorado natives.
So it looks like the kinks are ironed out here at CMJ and Rock ‘n’ Roll is in full swing. Tonight looks like it will be another proverbial barn-burner, so check back tomorrow for more updates.
.
.
Follow Reverb on Twitter! ! Foursquare, too!
Robby Corrado is a regular contributor to and a new contributor to .
