Artists: Handsome Furs, Earthquake Party
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Venue: Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA
Comments:
Act I: Earthquake Party– Wow, I have to say I was really impressed with this local trio. I am surprised that up until this point I have never heard of them, I suppose I am not the best at keeping up with local acts. In some ways, I wish I had know them before so I could get into the songs more, because I could tell they had some sweet songs beneath their electrifying showmanship. So, due to my unfamiliarity with their material I focused more on the sonic aspect of their performance, which was nothing short of pure, noisy entertainment. I mean noisy in the good sense, I felt like there was a nice wall of jostling noise. At the end of the day, despite my feelings of enjoyment,  I don’t know how much time I will devote to getting familiar with their work, but I will keep an eye out for their shows in the future. KLYAM recommend for sure.

Main Act: Handsome Furs-  Ahh yes the Handsome Furs, a longtime KLYAM favorite of sorts.  One of the first concerts we (meaning Glen, though both of us were in attendance) reviewed for this site (July 2009). And just like then, we were both greatly impressed with their set. In fact, this time around they were even better.  The Furs hit the stage and were gretted with an unprecedented amount of crowd response. The couple displayed immense apprecation for their audience’s enthusiasm; seriously I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much fan-performer love. In terms of the sound, it was one of the finest sonic experiences I’ve had at the Brighton Music Hall/Harpers Ferry. Since, I’m not a huge fan of the group (Glen is the big Furs KLYAM guy) I only knew  a few songs, but I enjoyed all of them. Classics that I recognized included 2009’s  Face Control cuts- “All We Want Baby Is Everything” and “Legal Tender.” As far as showmanship goes, the duo were outstanding. A great moment in particular came when Dan hopped intot he crowd and placed his arms around his many, excited fans, and pogoed- all involved singing along to the Furs’ pop magic. Dan can definitely get a crowd roaring, but Alexi is even better. The way she dances and thrusts with such force is nothing short of spectacular; if this was the 1950s, she would be executed as a Communist spy- God that’s so damn hot! But it’s truly a nice sight, and of course there’s a healthy amount of eroticism in the mix and when you mesh that with the dance rock/electronica of the Furs it just creates an all the more sensuous experience.   Speaking of erotic tendencies, there’s plenty of casual sexual play between Dan and Alexi, which teeters back and forth betwen a display of affection and unabashed steamy interactions. Don’t worry, nothing past PG-13 hahaha.  All in all, a fine performance, highly recommended.

Grade: 7/10- if I was a bigger fan, this would probably be an 8, so this is a real strong 7 fellas.