Parquet Courts performing live at The Kazimier
The line-up may read like an advert on Rightmove but Getintothis‘ Jamie Bowman goes along to The Kazimier to find out why Parquet Courts will be our new favourite band.
Just what is it with the UK and bands from New York? The likes of Television, the New York Dolls and the Strokes all had to jump on a plane and head for Blighty before being lauded as visionaries while we even awarded king of the nerds Jonathan Richman with a top ten hit before he scuttled off into obscurity.
Given this state of affairs, conquering Britain’s toilets should be a piece of cake for Parquet Courts – a band so New York they should be dating the cast of Girls while listening to Sonic Youth, rollerblading through Central Park. Or something.
As the climax to a sweltering day in Liverpool, the Courts‘ combination of dazzling garage rock, wordy lyrics and shoulder shrugging cool takes some beating. Their tunes are spindly, ragged stretches of glory – full of bits where the guitars speed up and up to a climax in a way that is thrilling to behold. At times it’s like some kind of School of Rock lesson in American alternative rock – a snatch of early REM is suddenly replaced by bit of Pavement before Austin Brown and Andrew Savage‘s solos intertwine and tumble recalling the dreamy brilliance of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. Whole songs sound unapologetically like Talking Heads. Brown and Savage are a study in contrast on stage. The former all joky sarcasm while the latter holds a pose of studied intensity. As they bravely take the piss out of Merseyside’s musical heritage (“The Rolling Stones! They were from here, right?”) it seems to confirm the image of a band who seemingly don’t give a shit about just how good they are.
In a set that concentrates on latest album Sunbathing Animal, the gig becomes a hugely diverting set to between Savage and Brown over who wants to bark and yelp the best song. The overall result is a draw but the moshing crowd is clearly the winner as the likes of Bodies Made Of and Black and White create mini revolutions down the front with crowd surfers becoming obligatory and sweat dropping of the ceiling. Sadly we’re denied Stoned and Starving‘s wondorous slacker take on Richman‘s Roadrunner but to complain about anything from tonight’s truly fantastic show would be uncool nit picking.
Behold your new favourite band.
Parquet Courts performing live at The Kazimier
Bad Breeding performing live at The Kazimier
Ultimate Painting performing live at The Kazimier
Pictures by Getintothis‘ Simon Lewis
