The Bravery at The Ogden Theater
Written by Ivyy Goldberg, Esq. // October 5, 2009 // It's Alive, The Conservatory // No comments
So JB and I are going to a rock show tonight. And the reason we are going to a rock show tonight is because our friends Jeff and Monique just had a baby, which means they’ve been trapped at home taking care of the little guy for like 2 months straight now. So when Monique said “Oh, The Bravery are coming!! We should totally go to that show!”, JB and I RAN to the Ogden to buy tickets, then RAN back to where Monique was standing finishing that thought, and before the words were even out of her mouth, we had shoved tickets into her hand, saying “You said, you said!!! We got tickets, we’ll find you a babysitter, you said you’d come out and play with us!!!!!!!!! So now you have to, you can’t back out, we missssss youuuuuuuu!!!”
So, because Jeff and Monique have that baby I was telling you about just now, they don’t arrive in time for the first band, Washington DC’s The Dustys. Actually, a lot of people at this show must have had babies to take care of because there were really only about 25 people in the audience for this decent opening act. All of the gear for all three bands is piled onstage, so The Dustys are playing a set in what looks like the coolest rock attic in the world, and while they’re not rocking my face off, I’m definitely not bored by it either. I feel much better than the last time I suffered through an opening act in wait of the headliner.
JB sez: The Dustys were decent. The progression of the bands opening for The Bravery were pretty well scheduled (good, better, best). There was none of that first-act-blowing-the-second-act-out-of-the-water stuff like what happened at the Ogden last week. It was a little odd that a band from DC was opening, because they honestly could have gotten anyone from Denver to perform in that slot with the same results. I’ve heard a few bands from Beltway area of our great nation and they all tend to sound the same: Good music to listen to while ordering beers.
Ivyy sez: Jeff and Monique show up in time for the second act, Living Things from Saint Louis (is that right? Can I get the Donnybrook servants to do some fact-checking for me, please? I’m entirely too lazy to check for myself.) The lead singer is hilariously rock-n-roll, wearing a leather jacket and hair from 1974, and between EVERY SINGLE SONG he says “Helloooo Denvah! Denvah COLORADO!!!!!” and the audience claps and cheers appropriately, as we are contractually obligated to do every time a rockstar says the name of our fair city.
JB sez: Were these guys joking around? Were they fully aware of their rock & roll clichés? My guess is yes, at least that’s the way I watched the show. They were totally like, “Look at us DENVAH! We’re ROCK STARS!” And we were like, “No you’re not, but you’re totally hilarious and your music makes me want to shake my hair around. I like that.”
Ivyy sez: So Jeff blows my mind by totally knowing this band, and singing along with one of the songs. Whoa guy, how did you get all cool and shit? You have a baby: pipe down on that whole knowing-more-about-music-than-me thing, okee?
Also, it’s fucking freezing in the Ogden right now, which is totally harshing my rock-n-roll buzz, man. I mean, it’s kinda hard to be cool when you’re considering asking the bartender to make you a hot cocoa, you know?
JB sez: I saw The Bravery last year for the first time and was somewhat underwhelmed. That was not the case on this night. In 2003 The Bravery introduced me to the electro-rock sound. Their fuzzed out synths, echoey guitars, and high-BPM tempo were new to me and I distinctly remember the hype coming out of New York in regards to their self-titled debut. In the six years since its release their sound has been mimicked by bands like Passion Pit, Phoenix, and MGMT, but The Bravery showed on Thursday night that they are still a force in their genre. Storming onstage for “Unconditional” and rocking through their catalog until sending us onto Colfax half-deaf after “Fearless,” they put on a fast-paced, unpretentious show that thoroughly entertained. It’s also worth noting that they played a few songs from their upcoming release “Stir the Blood” that totally rocked. Note to other bands: If you want people to buy your shit, rock the fuck out of it at live shows.
Ivyy sez: So The Bravery comes on, and it’s pretty awesome, but what’s even MORE awesome for a nerd like yours truly is that we’re standing right behind the lighting and sound guys who are doing their thing for the show. It’s cool to watch them work, but also very distracting, like every time either one of them goes to press a button I’m all “OHMYGOD what is that button you’re pressing? WHAT DOES IT DO?!?!?!?”
Ok, so yes, I’m a little distracted. Also, these guys just recently released a music video for their new single “Hatefuck”, and the video is so disturbing that watching it earlier in the day actually almost ruined me on this show. Seriously, I know I’m a delicate fucking flower, but it was really messed up, man. And NO I am NOT going to post it here, so stop asking, you sick fucks. (Ok ok, here ya go.)
So I’m not sure I got the full appreciation of The Bravery, although I agree with JB when he says they rocked their new stuff- I will shortly be hunting that down. But I don’t plan on searching out their YouTube page anytime soon, that’s for sure.
