CMJ Thursday: Panache Booking Showcase @ 285 Kent

For those of you reading that have never been to 285, whether due to lack of indie cred or geographical irrelevance, you should probably stop reading now and go to a show there.  It's dirt cheap, delightfully grimey and has an absurd amount of excellent bands playing there by the bushel.  Such was the case for Thursday's show from Panache Booking, [also the most buzzed about show in NYC that night, whatever the fuck that really means to anyone] a mix of bands diverse enough to keep the show entertaining but similar enough to keep a steady vibe going throughout the night.

Calvin Love spreading the love (and some legs)

First was Big Ups, a rowdy local favorite playing some loud abrasive proto-gutter punk that I was unfortunately not yet drunk enough to enjoy all that much. But whatever.

The next act I caught was Calvin Love, who worked his good looks and better songs to drop some serious panties in the front row.  There were several girls clammering and clawing at Love's blazer, groping his legs and offering him drinks, which set the mood for the frenetic energy that would rip through 285 as the night went on.  Also, Calvin is quite the friendly Canuck, in the realm of Mac Demarco bro-ness (who was actually at the show as well) and it was quite a pleasure hanging out in his van smoking cigarettes before his set.

Hunters and Ex-Cult were quite the intense back-to-back set to watch.  Isabel from Hunters is a fierce frontwoman who emanates an intense blend of radical riot grrl and raucous sexuality [think Karen O and Jemina Pearl of Be Your Own Pet] and she led the band through a romping set of quick numbers.  Once Ty Segall favorites Ex-Cult took the stage though, shit got pretty real.  Thankfully, I had consumed more alcohol than before so I was prepared for the mosh pit madness that inevitably appears when a band as rowdy as this plays.  Frontman Chris Shaw growls onstage like a child of Henry Rollins just as much as 70's Bowery punk and the rest of the band is tight throughout their fierce setlist, one that resulted in a few minor injuries and many a spilled beer.

Finally, headliners and blogosphere favorites Speedy Ortiz closed out the show close to 1 AM.  If you've been loving under an Internet rock and not heard of this fantastically authentic noise-pop (another terrible pigeonhole) group, I implore you to first slap yourself across your pallid face and then go check out Major Arcana, one of the best records of this last summer.

I feel dirty even talking about their show to those who haven't heard them, but for those who have, you've inevitably seen them and know that Sadie and Co. put on an amazing, truly rock n roll show.  Lester Bangs would be proud to call himself a Speedy Ortiz fan, and so am I, so the multifaceted moral of tonight's story is as such:

a)  Speedy Ortiz is amazing and if you don't listen to them you're probably a total dick.

b) Panache Booking is a fantastic boutique crew that love what they do, so give them lots of Internet buzzpoints and check out their site here

c) Don't bring anything valuable to an Ex-Cult show, and don't expect to leave with your dignity [which is basically my way of saying go see them ASAP]

d) Keep supporting independent music and their respective entities, venues, etc. We're all a team y'all, share the love.