palm was on first and they were most notable for being able to actually pull off what they put down on record, which was not obvious walking into the show. i remarked at some point during the night that this is the kind of band that exists for a few years, disappears with little notice and then gets discovered a few years later. you should probably see them the first time, while you have the chance.
here is a full set:
ought was on second, and i wasn't very impressed. i was expecting something generic, in the broad scope of the kind of fruity "indie rock" that has been popular for the last few years. a danceable beat, with some broken chords and some synth stabs. *yawn*. but, they ended up more schlocky than fluffy, navigating through that minimalist-guitars-with-gruff-vocalist post-punk space. it came off as a kind of vanity pick by ian ilavsky. check out new era building, compare and you'll see what i mean.
the walk back in the dark was really not bad at all. you can imagine that this big, collapsing city remains a little bit scary to this shy, polite canadian. but, i'm getting used to it. it was really mostly through campus. apologies to anti-gentrification activists, but it'll feel that much safer when they finish with the hockey arena. that couple of blocks between mlk and temple is really the only creepy part of the walk.
here is the vlog for the day:
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2016/05/26.html
