Tuesday, March 29, 2005
I don't think there was any doubt that Spaceland was the place to be in March. With all the hoopla surrounding the club's 10 year anniversary, The Lovemakers residency, and the return of the almighty Lutefisk, we basically camped out every night on Silver Lake Blvd... The Lovemakers 4-week tenure was one of the best the club has ever had. There aren't many bands that work half as hard onstage, nor sound a third as good. Apparently, the new album is in the can and expected to be released this summer. We can hardly wait... Along with The Lovemakers came a slew of top billing bands that helped round out each night, most of whom were in town for a quick stop to and from SXSW. One of the more memorable ones was The Mint Chicks from New Zealand, who completely pummeled through a 14-song set in less than 45 minutes. Two songs in particular, "F.T.G.U. (F*ck the Golden Youth)" and "Fat C*nt" were perfectly tortuous hardcore statements if I ever did hear one... Another band I was anxious to see was NYC's Grizzly Bear whose epic plainsong makes you feel like you've leaped off an earthen celestial throne into a liquid state. If you know what I mean...
To everyone who loved Spaceland in the 90's, the must-see event of the entire month was Lutefisk, Longstocking, Buck, and Sissybar on week one. Really a shame that Sissybar cancelled at the last minute but no matter, the rest of the bands would suffice. I hadn't see Lutefisk or Longstocking since the Al's Bar days and my goodness... what a show. This Lutefisk performance will probably go down in rock history somewhere. It might have been one of the biggest performances Silver Lake has ever witnessed. The response was so good that the band booked another show at The Echo. You'd be crazy to miss it. Equally loved were Longstocking and Buck, the latter of whom might be playing again soon. We can only hope.
