| on 22-11-2005 09:16
|
Published in : , Music |
Preview: The Hidden Cameras and Le Tigre at play in Prague
The end of June brings you not one but TWO fancy schmancy bandaroos to 007, Hidden Cameras (Sat, 25 / 07) and Le Tigre (Tue, 28 / 07)
The Hidden Cameras (CAN) Saturday, June 25th at 007 Strahov 20:00
The Hidden Cameras somehow capture the spirit and enthusiasm of the folk/pop scene of the late 60’s but with the level of songwriting that transcend time and kitsch. These are the sort of songs that stick in your head, but you want them to. On top of this their concerts have a reputation of being revelatory live performances that attack and rise above the staid, dispassionate traditions of rock nightclub culture.
„The Hidden Cameras aren’t famous,“wrote The Toronto Star in July, „but if you believe the buzz, it’s only a matter of time.“
Now, shortly after becoming the first Canadian band to be signed by Rough Trade in the label’s 25-year history, The Hidden Cameras have delivered The Smell of Our Own, surely – and without hyperbolic padding – one of the most enthralling and individual debut albums to come from anywhere in years.  The Smell of Our Own is an all-too-rare type of debut – the type that sounds as if it was conceived in its own aesthetic universe, its worldview and core sound already whole. But at the same time, it suggests that The Hidden Cameras are only beginning to evolve.
The Hidden Cameras might fleetingly remind listeners of other great artists, but the heart of the group’s sound is best explained by a flip but accurate descriptor that Joel Gibb created when the Cameras was only the seed of an idea: „gay church folk music.“ „Gay“ meaning „happy,“ Gibb says, although his songs have also drawn wide acclaim for their fearlessly explicit but remarkably touching examinations of homosexuality. „Church“ refers to the implicit gospel influence in the Cameras’ music; the cavernous, cathedral-like air of their recordings (some of the group’s now-legendary early concerts were staged in Toronto churches); and the
religious/spiritual imagery that weaves comfortably around the erotic and romantic themes in Gibb’s lyrics. „Folk“ addresses not only the central motif of Gibb’s strummed acoustic guitar, but the communal, open-door policy that has seen the band swell to as many as 15 on-stage members, including male go-go dancers who strip down to underwear and balaclavas and encourage the
audience to sing along to lyrics projected onto a backdrop. „Indie shows, generally in my mind, are associated with people not moving, smoking cigarettes,
maybe making little insults to their friends about people who are trying to dance,” Gibb said in a recent newspaper interview. „For us, it’s about engagement. The
dancers are there to take away some inhibitions… It’s about enjoying yourself and your body.“ So come to the Klub 007 Strahov this Saturday to see if he‘s brought along some go-go dancers to Prague.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Le Tigre at Klub 007 Strahov on Tuesday, June 28th at 20:00
By Chris Coleman
The „feminist punk electronic“ indie stars
Le Tigre come to Prague this Tuesday!
 If you haven‘t heard of this trio from the States yet then you must be listening to too much Radio Impuls. To prove to you just how big they are they will be opening for Beck in his U.S. summer tour. They have one simple objective: writing damn catchy songs with a message. Their music is heavy on synth and their beats are from their oldskool  drum machines, but its all topped by half sung half screeched vocals with attitude. Their lyrics aren‘t afraid of hitting the big American socio-politico issues right in the crotch. This is best exemplified on their latest album This Island by the song ‚New Kicks‘ in which they took samples of their involvement in the world‘s largest ever protest on February 15, 2003 against the war in Iraq. They also like to sing about how pathetically dysfunctional relationships are in this hyper-busy man-eat-man world. But nevermind that, when I saw them play at Coachella they made it clear that they‘re going to have fun on stage and you damn well better be dancing!
|
|
|
(0 vote)