It still sometimes amazes me that one can see an excellent show in an intimate environment for little money in Prague, where prices of everything else seem on a continual ascent. The last show I saw in Phoenix, Arizona, by comparison, had over 8,000 people, half as many ‘roided-out security guards checking pockets and purses and $7 plastic bottles of Miller Lite.
This is why I tend to confine myself to seeing shows Lucerna Music Bar (also home to the infamous ’80s/’90s Disco night each Saturday), which I cannot imagine holding more than 500 or 600 people at the max. I was not disappointed last Saturday evening when, starting at the ludicrously early time of 6 pm (so as not to interfere with disco patrons later on), I was able to see not only the excellent headline band, Editors, of Birmingham, England, but two lesser known up-and-coming bands, The Maccabees (UK) and Wintersleep (Canada). For a small price of 539 CZK, I witnessed a massive 3 hour show. Check out the highlights below…
Editors
This band become a favorite not very long ago after hearing their first album, “Back in the Room”. After I recognized Editors as quality music, I was excited to see that they had a second album, “An End Has a Start” and that their third album, “In This Light and on This Evening”, was soon to be released in a few months. Once #3 was out, I found that two types of Editors fans existed–those that love the first two albums and hate the third, and vice a versa. Find out for yourself–either way, you’ll listen to good music.
The show was mixed between old favorites (Bones, Munich, An End has a Start) and the new, more visible tracks of the third album (Papillon, The Boxer), where lead vocalist and by far the main stage presence, Tom Smith, went off a ways tangentially from the first two albums with what I imagine was mandated by their success, which are more conventionally positioned in overall feel. It was, then, that crowd pumping hits were intermingled with some of the new electric morphine of the third album, making for a slightly confusing attitude for the night. But who cares, it is Editors…
Other bands that remind me of Editors: Interpol, The Bravery and Joy Division
My favorite Editors tracks:
- An End has a Start
- Bones
- All Sparks
- Put Your Head Towards The Air
- Munich
- The Racing Rats
- Escape the Nest
- Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
- Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
You can read about Editors here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editors
You can listen to Editors here:
http://www.myspace.com/editorsmusic
The Maccabees
I suppose I should thank Editors for bringing The Maccabees to Prague and introducing them to my ears. I may not have stumbled across this gem for quite some time had I not seen them listed as part of the opening act to Editors. They played a high-energy 30-minute show right before the headliners, and I found that eight of their nine songs they played would have been on my list of requests. With two albums out, “Color It In” and “Wall of Arms”, I can only hope that these guys come back to Prague for a show of their own–and a third album soon after.
I feel like mentioning that their second album has been unjustly criticized as too “Arcade Fire style”–coincidentally both bands featured the same super-producer, Markus Dravs (Coldplay, Bjork). I believe that The Maccabees pull off the sound even better than Arcade Fire and add an element of pushiness missing from the shakier, summery sound of the latter.
Other bands that remind me of The Maccabees: The Kooks, Arcade Fire
My favorite tracks from The Maccabees:
- One Hand Holding
- Wall of Arms
- Dinosaurs
- Good Old Bill
- Young Lions
- Seventeen Hands
- No Kind Words
- Bag of Bones
- Lego
You can read about The Maccabees here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maccabees
You can listen to The Maccabees here:
http://www.myspace.com/themaccabees
Wintersleep
This band was just the cherry on top. By the time that The Maccabees had finished their following act to Wintersleep, the Norwegian across from me agreed that he would be happy if the showed ended now. I admit that I heard of Wintersleep for the first time two weeks before the concert, but they were on my headphones for a good portion of that time since then. I’ve only listened to the most recent album from these Nova Scotians, “Welcome to the Night Sky”, but I’m hooked on their sound, which I find promising. I plan to check out earlier albums soon.
The opening act is never very easy and frequently under-appreciated–there may have been 150 people at Lucerna when they punctually got on stage in time for last call on the early-bird special. They took this as a challenge and rocked out for 30 minutes with great energy and got me pumped up for what could only be an awesome night.
Other bands that remind me of Wintersleep: Foo Fighters, REM, Vampire Weekend
My favorite tracks from Wintersleep:
- Archeologists
- Murderer
- Search Party
- Oblivion
- Astronaut
You can read about Wintersleep here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintersleep
You can listen to Wintersleep here:
http://www.myspace.com/wintersleep
An interesting revelation came out that Che Guevara spent some of the 60s in the village of Ladvi just south of Prague. 5 months spent in the small Czech town Czech didn’t seem to exactly inspire the revolutionary leader.
The levels of pollution in Prague are getting serious, with the quality of air in many parts of the city leaving a great deal to be desired. Now the green group Arnika is warning that things could get even worse, if a recent decline in the number of trees in the Czech capital continues.
