Nice to hear that the drunken louts in Dillinger Four were able to get up off their collective fat/lazy asses to make it out here for a show or two. Sure has been a while. There was the ill-fated appearance at Pointless Fest in Philly where Paddy threw up the whole set, but save for St. Patrick making it through town with Sean Na Na, The Arrivals and seemingly every other band on Earth, the D4 has been keeping it local and assumably recording a new record for the last, I don't know, six years. I'm not sure who cajoled them to go out on the road with The Circle Jerks and a coterie of nightmarish electro bands, but if it gets those boys in town, so be it.
Or so I thought until I had to suffer through a Matt & Kim set. Man is that some insipid crap. Just when I though nothing could be worse than Mates Of State, our friends across the East River stepped up and trumped them. Brooklyn, I continue to underestimate you: your capacity to produce irritating crap is utterly unparalleled. It may not be as crassly commercial as shitty bands from LA, but it sure is horrible. While Kim can drum and seems to be very lovely, I would like to punch her partner Matt in the throat forever. I am also in favor of threatening the removal of his fingers if he does not cease playing that fucking irritating keyboard racket. I can honestly say that Matt and Kim are everything that is wrong with music today. Please take your place with Fannypack and Northern State in the canon of ex-bands.
Manahttan economics work to our advantage every once in a while. Highline had a late show booked, so Dillinger Four were onstage by 9pm. One things is apparent: whatever D4 have been doing in their absence, dieting isn't one of the activities. Them is some big boys. It was business as usual for the boys. Paddy was in his usual high spirits, keeping up his regular schtick about how he's dying to sell out and working in a running gag with the head of security being a record company bigwig. Good times, plus a pretty decent set that worked in Mosh For Jesus, Smells Like OK Soda and a a gang of other old school favorites. No new material (in the stage banter or actual songs) but a hell of a solid set all around.
Night two was at Club Europa in the foul smelling neighborhood of Greenpoint. While I pay far too much for my charming downtown hovel, I can take small consolation in the fact that it doesn't smell like a sewer treatment plant. Maybe it's all the electroclash that's fouling the air. Now when you have the same bill and the same door time, you'd figure the bands would go on at the same times, right? You would guess right if it wasn't in a Polish disco in Greenpoint. Todd P deserves props for all the alternative venues he books shows in, but Europa is by no means enjoyable. Nor is the second to last band going on at 11:45 on a Sunday. Come on guys! Over by 9:30 on a Friday but going past midnight on a Sunday with a non-drinking crowd? Well done!
Granted, it was the last night of the tour and the whole thing was supposed to celebrate diversity (a good idea in theory, unless you have listen to it) but diversity that includes at least one not-especially-good comedian and my being subjected to Matt & Kim for the second time in 24 hours is enough to make me hardline. At the risk of over-asserting the point: Matt and Kim are absolutely terrible. I really feel for the families of the kids that listen to that crap. Kim again proved to be mildly engaging and beat the hell out of the drum kit for most of the set, but a tour-ending set with her counterpart thanking everybody in America had many a D4 fan in the crowd contemplating a stage invasion.
The world's unluckliest, and sadly unfunniest comedian got to work the room while Dillinger got set up. I guess he was paid for, but it being the last night and all, they could have killed the second-rate Richard Lewis they dragged out and no one really would have complained. It was better than Matt & Kim, but then again so is hysterical deafness. Comedian #2 went over a little bit better, but all in all, not a good idea late on a Sunday night. When you have Keith Morris and Patrick Costello in the house, you can send the b-list comedians home early.
Dillinger Four, on the other hand, are a good idea all the time. Day, Night, whenever: they truly bring it. Same set essentially from the night before, banter included. I was pleased to find that they had been up til 6:30 the night before with Paul Bearer. Most of the crowd seemed to have no idea who Sheer Terror were, much less be old enough for him to be nasty to them at the door at Brownies, but someone's gotta rep for the old school. It would have been nice to see a guest appearance from ol' PB, but you can't have everything.
Dillinger Four have finally finished the new record, which will assumably be dropping on Fat soon. They are playing a couple of dates opening for NOFX in October, so look forward to seeing Fat Mike and the boys getting their asses handed to them (and hit me off if you can score me some guest list- Vanessa?) and pray for a headlining tour in the Spring.
Dillinger Four, on the other hand, are a good idea all the time. Day, Night, whenever: they truly bring it. Same set essentially from the night before, banter included. I was pleased to find that they had been up til 6:30 the night before with Paul Bearer. Most of the crowd seemed to have no idea who Sheer Terror were, much less be old enough for him to be nasty to them at the door at Brownies, but someone's gotta rep for the old school. It would have been nice to see a guest appearance from ol' PB, but you can't have everything.
Dillinger Four have finally finished the new record, which will assumably be dropping on Fat soon. They are playing a couple of dates opening for NOFX in October, so look forward to seeing Fat Mike and the boys getting their asses handed to them (and hit me off if you can score me some guest list- Vanessa?) and pray for a headlining tour in the Spring.
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