Describing the experience of a show is an exercise in futility, like trying to explain the vastness of the Grand Canyon to someone who has only seen it in pictures. You may have heard some live music fan insist that you need to check out a show by Thee Oh Sees. If the reason you haven’t gone is because you’ve read about the band and you’re not a fan of “garage rock,” you seriously need to reconsider. Just show up the next time they play near you, because a performance by Thee Oh Sees is way, WAY beyond what you (and even many garage rock fans) assume that term or genre entails.
Far from the sloppy mess some might (happily) expect from a band described as “garage rock,” the musicianship is superb, particularly, vocalist/guitarist/frontman John Dwyer. Whether on 12 or 6 string, Dwyer astounded the packed crowd at repeatedly with a plethora of riffs, noises, squeaks — you name it. Twin drummers drove the whole thing. Thee Oh Sees tore through their short set with the sleek, powerful efficiency of a sports car.
Some have described Thee Oh Sees live as reminiscent of the Cramps in their insane heyday. Early on in their Saturday night set, they sounded more like Jeff Beck-era Yardbirds; pure kickass riffing, ’60s garage/punk. Later, there were psychedelic, almost electronic, transcendental moments that a band like Muse might conjure.
From the moment Thee Oh Sees came on stage to the end, despite clearly overcrowded conditions, people kept moving to the front of the stage, like sinners hoping to get saved at a revival. Such was the blissed-out mania; it probably was a revival to many at Moe’s. Whether from euphoria, the relentless rhythm section or just to work off holiday calories, people were dancing where they could, some on chairs.
It thinned out noticeably up front between the end of the band’s regular set and their all-too-brief encore, as the scenesters in the crowd headed to the next “it event.” Still, even most of those people came back for the finale. Thatap how good it was.
Perth, Australia’s Total Control opened the show. Their short feature set started out average but improved quickly and in only a few songs. Old school punk songs were wrapped around a few expertly performed longer, instrumental pieces that grabbed the growing crowd’s attention and applause.
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Mike Long is a Longmont-based writer and comedian and a regular contributor to Reverb.
Christine Cool is a Denver photographer and a new contributor to Reverb.
