Crystal Castles @ House of Blues

photos by Sara Sahadi, videos and words by Scott

Yes, Crystal Castles were in Dallas.  And yes, they performed this time.  Not only did they perform at the House of Blues in downtown Dallas, they set the place on fire.  Metaphorically, of course.  The duo of Alice Glass and Ethan Kath, along with touring drummer Christopher Chartrand, brought their brand of electro-noise to the DFW-area for the first time since last year's infamous fiasco at the Granada Theater.  Despite the cloudy past, both band and crowd did not spend any time reminiscing and proceeded to feed off each other for the next hour and a half.

True to form, the band performed alongside their seizure-inducing light show and pumped enough bass into the venue to set off the Richter scale.  The set included pretty equal amounts from the band's two self-titled albums, Volume I and Volume II, including a short encore.  While Kath was a mainstay behind his synths, Glass ventured into the crowd more often than not, dancing and falling into the crowd's arms between vigorous shouts into the microphone.  Even though Volume II received 'Best New Music' recognition by Pitchfork.com, Volume I's bangers such as "Alice Practice" and "Courtship Dating" brought the crowd to a frenzy.  Overall, it was an electric show; the only setback was the House of Blues' lack of communication regarding the venue shutting down the photo pit during CC's show despite giving out photo passes.  Fail.  Pictures and videos of the show are below:

enjoy.

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Titus Andronicus @ Sons of Hermann Hall

To say that I was psyched to see Titus Andronicus at the Sons of Hermann Hall would be an understatement.  I saw the New Jersey-quintet at Fordham University in the Bronx earlier this year that ended prematurely (curfew) and had multiple injunctions by University officials and administration.  But where the band's show was cut short by logistics, they made up for in pure energy and modesty.  So when I saw they were coming through Dallas, I was excited to see a full show by the band in a venue I have yet to visit.

I really liked Sons of Hermann Hall; I like the fact there's a full bar downstairs but also a small bar within the venue space upstairs.  The space was large enough for a pretty sizable crowd but felt more intimate than other larger venues.  Prior to Titus's performance, I caught the two opening acts in Denton's Bizarro Kids and Dallas's Soft Environmental Collapse.  I was impressed by the Bizarro Kids, whose psychedelic-inspired electronic flowed really with their onstage visuals; except for the occasional out of place visual or odd song title, I thought they were pretty good.  Following the Kids were Soft Environmental Collapse, a band who fused electronic elements with live instruments and pop vocals.  I don't want to sound harsh but I was not a fan.  All I could think is that they sound like Memory Tapes but not good.  I don't know what it was but it just didn't work for me.

Despite the growing crowd at Hermann, the Hall was less than half full by time Titus took stage; which surprised me.  But nevertheless, the band never seemed let down by the turnout as they blistered through a 13-song set with minimal banter (except after the opening "A More Perfect Union" when guitarist Amy Klein's amp went out).  I enjoyed their performance, though again, I was a little disappointed in the crowd; the kids at Fordham seemed to have a much better time, hence the crowd control reactions by the administration.  The crowd did get vocal during songs like "No Future Part Three:..." and "Titus Andronicus", where chants of "you will always be a loser!" and "your life is over!" filled the Hall.  Overall, a great night with a great band.  The set list was as such:

A More Perfect Union

Richard II

Upon Viewing Brueghel's "Landscape With The Fall Of Icarus"

Theme From "Cheers"

No Future

No Future Part Two: The Days After No Future

No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future

Fear and Loathing In Mahwah, NJ

Titus Andronicus

The Battle of Hampton Roads

Titus Andronicus Forever

We're Coming Back (Cock Sparrer cover)

Four Score and Seven

Photos of the show are below, along with a video taken at their Fordham University show:

enjoy.

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