I guess I don't remember middle school very well. I mean, I know it happened, I know I was probably smelly. But to that one kid who busted in front of me (two people from the stage) halfway through Islands' set: FUCK YOU WASH YOUR HAIR I ALMOST THREW UP ON YOU, YOU LITTLE PUKE.
The concert went better than that, though.
1. The place
The Middle East Downstairs.
2. The people
It was all ages, but comfortingly it was mostly my age group, and the small pockets of teenagers were mostly ecstatic and jubliant without the fear of looking like idiots in front of other people. To the big-haired ginger at the front singing her heart out: I love you. Nick from Islands will probably never date you, but goddamnit if you didn't make it a fun night.
3. The performers
So Toro y Moi was like a successful version of that abomination that opened for Ganglians when they opened for Wavves. One dude, some synths, a little move-busting. Jemina Pearl bloody brought it. I mean, her moves were textbook Karen O*, but she was so damn happy about everything it didn't matter. The whole band was bouncing. GREAT.
Also just discovered she was the lead singer of Be Your Own Pet, so she gets double points for that. This outfit, however, was significantly poppier/tweenier/bouncier than anything BYOP ever put out.
And then there was Islands. On a personal note, I started listening to the Unicorns about six months before they broke up. I fell madly in love, and I fell hard when they fell apart. Subsequently, seeing Islands was for me an event I'd been waiting for for ages. Generally when I like a band, I later find out at least one (if not many) members are foxes, thus making their greatness even more great. Because who doesn't like a fox?
Anyway, Islands/Unicorns was never like that. I never really investigated what they looked like, and frankly I didn't really care. They were so incredibly good that I didn't need a visual.
But now, I am totally bloody in love with Nick from Islands. Striding upon the stage in all white, bearing a cape and wraparound adhesive sunglasses, he was totally straightfaced. There was no humor, no irony, no joke in his attire. He was just a dude in a cape. He danced. We danced. He clapped. We clapped. We all sang together in a throbbing, rocking mass, despite virtually no banter or demanded audience participation. When one overenthusiastic fan bleated "You're awesome!", Nick Islands' only response was "No, you're awesome."
Until next time, which I think isn't until Rooney/Tally Hall in December,
Stay salty
--WF
WHO DOES THAT?!
Jemina Pearl - I hate People (feat. Iggy Pop)
Jemina Pearl - Ecstatic Appeal
Islands - Creeper
Islands - Vapours
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