CONCERT REVIEW: WAVVES/FIDLAR 4/9 @ JOHNNY BRENDAS

Okay so I’ll be honest, I did not catch Cheatahs set because the season premiere of America’s Next Top Model (College Edition) happened to come on my television at 9:00. But when I eventually got off my couch and walked down my block to Johnny Brendas, I entered just as LA’s FIDLAR was setting up. The first thing I noticed was the crowd-which was a polar opposite of the scene I saw at Burgermania II at Hotel Vegas when I saw FIDLAR last month. The room was filled with a noticeably 21+ audience that seemed like they were crashing from a long day 9-5ing. FIDLAR seemed to notice too, and taunted everyone upstairs to get downstairs and fucking mosh. And then all of the sudden they start and I find myself staring at a middle age women rolling around in a pile of beer. Cool. That’s the thing about FIDLAR-even if you try hard to channel your inner Daria and roll your eyes at their overtly party attitude, suddenly you are dancing around like some sort of Quinn wannabe. Despite the fact that their stage banter is corny, rehearsed and excessive, one listen to their track “AWWWKWAARRRDDD” and you will be rooting for these guys all Wheatus “Teenage Dirtbag” style. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXtpqg5SQxM .
Buy something from these guys, they are touring their butts off and deserve your money to spend on the necessities like an ounce of pot.
Next up, Wavves appears, glowing in the daze of JB’s signature psychedelic lights. Nathan Williams looked happy to be playing in a city inhabited with enough dirt bags to appreciate his distinct brand of drug-induced moodiness. Playing lots of tracks from their recent release, “Afraid of Heights”, Wavves managed to keep the room heavily thrashing even on the first real hot day Philadelphia has seen in months. In fact looking around at all the tie dye and now nearly naked stage divers, I almost felt like I had teleported to a Venice beach for a quick second. The night ended with the front men of both FIDLAR and Wavves stage diving backwards from the second floor balcony into a now soaking audience. And with the two groups covering The Descendents and Sonic Youth (respectively), I left feeling like I had lived out some eighties teenage skate punk’s fantasy. Touche 9-5 people of America, you can go a lot harder than I had previously anticipated.

FIDLAR (FUCK IT DOG LIFES A RISK)
http://fidlarla.com
http://fidlar.bandcamp.com/

WAVVES
http://wavves.net/