Went to see Death Cab for Cutie at the Brixton Academy.
What are they like? asks Rachael.
Like the kind of music you hear on the OC. And once inside, it's apparent we've stepped onto the set of the OC. Fresh-faced, clean-looking, dewy-skinned little teenies.
They seem even younger, if possible, than Bloc Party's following. We're clearly getting too old for gigs.
"I can see someone older than us!" says Rachael with excitement. "Oh, wait - no, he's here to accompany his 12 year old son." "Next time we come, we'll be queuing up in a line of foetuses" she says bitterly. They're the politest bunch you've ever seen, clapping sedately after every song and hardly rocking out at all, but they hardly could to this band's music. They hold up their camera-phones and take photos like people once used to hold up lighters at gigs. Are teens less rebellious, more conformist these days? Is it just this lot?
On the way home the Central Line is suspended due to a "person under a train". (Anyone else remember the days when they'd protect our delicate sensibilities with some other story, like signal failure?) You know you're a real Londoner when your first thought is not "poor thing" or even "poor tube driver" but "Inconsiderate bastard. Just added an hour to my journey."
Summer Skin mp3
Death Cab for Cutie
Gigs
Feeling Old
About teaching and crying
7 hours ago
16 comments:
A friend of mine raved to me about Death Cab For Cutie. 'Great name' I thought... 'I'll check them out'.
What a load of insipid bedwetting dirge it turned out to be. A great name ruined. :D
I nearly went to that gig, but had no one to go with - sounds like I had a lucky escape!
In the immortal words of Seth from the OC, series 1, episode 2 - 'Do *not* insult Death Cab'.
Actually I've never heard a single song of theirs, but I do like Ben Gibbard's solo stuff and I'm quite partial to the Postal Service. You wouldn't find me, er, 'rocking out' to it, though - mainly because it's very, very fey.
Didn't think it would be your cup of tea Rad (it wasn't Rachael's either, she dragged me out early.) They got the band name from a track on Bonzo Dog Band’s Gorilla album - maybe you'll like this better.
Patroclus, next time you could come with us and feel like a geriatric! Loads of laughs. By the way, maybe you will know this - what is Emo (EMO) and how is it distinct from indie?
^ That can of worms is a dissertation in itself! EMO is the condition in which you utilise much hairspray and write really bad teenage poetry.
Unless you are Rivers Cuomo, in which case you're a trendsetter and it's fine.
Does it stand for something Prolix? Emotional... emollient... electronic money order... que?
We crossed in the comments - is she Seth's girlfriend? (Never watch it me, unless forced to by flatmate, who carries a torch for Seth.)
Umm, emo, short for 'emotional'. In my mind, 'emo' is any music which has angry 'n' depressed, quiet-loud-quiet-loud songs about being an outsider and no one understanding you and wanting to slit your wrists and all that. Which is why teenagers like it so much. Nirvana were the emo band of our day (*cough*), I reckon. These days it's stuff like My Chemical Romance and all that. Stuff that kids in black hoodies that hang around Camden Market listen to.
I could be wrong - Prolix knows more about this kind of stuff than I do. Not that I'm for a minute suggesting that he's ever donned a black hoodie and hung around Camden Market. Pro has very discerning musical tastes.
If you've any more gigs planned, Annie, I'd be delighted to tag along. Seems to be festival season right now, though - roll on the autumn!
Ooh, and I too carry a torch for Seth, which is deeply worrying at my age.
Hmm.. Emo. When I first heard of it I though it might be the descendents of people who listen to Fugazi, you know earnest, intense, that kind of thing.
Maybe not.
I like not "really" knowing. I shouldn't know really, I'm not a teenager.
"Pro has very discerning musical tastes."
And black is so not my colour. Actually it is, but for humourous effect I am pretending it isn't.
Patroclus sums it up very well and though it pains me, I think the Nirvana analogy is an accurate one. It's the haircut thing that gets me though, I mean, look at them!
Oohoo, that's funny. I'd heard about the haircuts, but I'd never seen them (because I'm too old and at the same time too young to be examining teenagers' hair very closely).
Black is everyone's colour, really, isn't it? It's certainly mine.
Ah, know it well Patroclus, it's all coming back to me now. "Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, going down the garden to eat worms..." kind of music. Definitely come along next time - though I'm averaging about one a year at the moment - boo!
Billy, why should the teenagers have all the fun? Rockit makes a spirited defence in her post on this gig
Prolix - ha ha! Ha ha ha! Thanks very much for that link, most entertaining. It's the moody expressions that make it for me. Look at me, staring moodily out from behind my long fringe. Dead sexy.
Patroclus, there were quite a few of these at the gig...
How the hell can they see anything under all that hair?
I am so glad I have never been into 'emo' well, I like Nirvana, but you know what I mean.
I desperately want to grow an emo haircut, but I'm blonde and my hair goes curly when it's long, so once again I am ostracised from a group of oh-so-non-conformists.
And if you think the audience at Death Cab were young, you should try seeing Arctic Monkeys live. I felt like a Beaver Scout Leader.
Hi Heather! Nirvana were the originals, before the term was invented, so you're allowed to like them.
Del, I have exactly the same curly problem, it put paid to my dreams of being a Goth back in the day - oh no, I've said too much now.
I love the Arctic Monkeys, lyric writers supreme - glad of the warning though.
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