The Dead Part of You

So last Friday was the big indie electronic show at Avalon. LCD Soundsystem played with Yacht.

For a long time I had just assumed LCD Soundsystem was just a fancy name for a DJ, and it sort of is, but there's a lot more going on. Live, there were 5-6 people playing the songs that James Murphy wrote and recorded by himself.

It ruled.

It's been years since I've had that kind of concert experience - I got there early and staked out my spot up near the front. Opening with Us vs Them got a small pit started behind me, like at a hardcore show. Murphy stopped briefly to remind the aggressive boys that dancing with girls was much more fun, and was completely ignored as everything exploded around and behind me as they tore into "Daft Punk is Playing At My House".

[I couldn't find a set list online, however I did come across what seems to be a nice free set of bootleg remixes from Sounds of Silver.]

Pretty much any old song and the place exploded - the new stuff also got good reactions. Most noticeably/obviously was "All My Friends". It was what they were doing on every song - starting minimal, slowly rising into screaming and cacophony while keeping everyone moving with their steady 4/4 beat. For reals, Al Doyle went nuts on his guitar for the last few minutes of it. I just started screaming it was so intense. So loud. Actually, the intensity level reminded me of Mogwai, only instead of an internalized shoegaze rage, this was an external primal release.

Other set highlights? Only the most amazing encore imaginable. Coming back into "Someone Great", a cover of Joy Division's "No Love Lost" [where I truly realized how similar this live set up was similar to New Order] and an odd closing number of "New York I Love You". I didn't think closing out such a high energy night with a balled would work - but it totally kicked ass.

And why was it such an awesome gig all around? When the lights came up and I hit the street my shirt was drenched in sweat. Like dripping from the workout I had just been through, and dripping from the sweat of all the kids crashing into me.

Opener Yacht reminded me exactly why I hate 98% of all electroclash.

I was able to get a few shots off with my new phone during the few moments I wasn't being thrown around. Most of them didn't really come out. However, I was up close enough to tell that James Murphy is packing some heat below the belt - I swear if he wasn't stuffing then he could probably do some serious damage. Just sayin'.