I’ve seen Priests now twice; the first show, I believe they opened for Franz Ferdinand, was a bit rough, but intriguing. The second, a late night gig during SXSW 2019, was a top notch exhibition of sexy, pop-glam-goth-rock. Much like their latest album The Seduction of Kansas.
Idlewild - You Held the World in Your Arms
How fun is it to re-discover an old favorite? If my re-discovery of Scottish rockers Idlewild, it’s very, very fun. I’m not actually sure how or why I lost track of them. They were in very heavy rotation for me for a long time in the 2000’s and listening to them today, it was tough picking a song to share. I ended up choosing “You Held the World in Your Arms” off The Remote Part, but could have easily gone with “El Capitan”, “Love Steals Us from Loneliness”, “A Modern Way of Letting Go”, “Little Discourage” or any number of other tracks. It seems they’ve got a new album out as well, will have to give that a look.
Upcoming Shows
Minus The Bear - Vaiduct
Minus The Bear is good. Really, really good. They might be my all time favorite band. No joke. They’re like the perfect blend of dad rock and prog rock and they light up every part of my brain when I listen to them. They’re like the ultimate elevator music meets rock soundtrack to Tron if they never went into the computer. They’re like some of my favorite old school bands—Visage, Heaven 17, Spandau Ballet—if they were still around today. But better. They’re like a terrific Roger Zelazny or Ursula K. Le Guin book cover, or like old school D&D modules. They ultra modern and old school at the same time and their music reminds me of all the places I’ve ever lived or travelled. Mostly because they’ve been in my ears so much.
As with most good things that don’t last, MTB have recently announced they’re wrapping things up. Luckily for fans like me, they’ve released some terrific new music—like today’s Most Important and the rest of the Fair Enough EP—and are performing a farewell tour. I can’t wait to see them here in Austin next month and give them a proper send off.
(And, yeah, I’ve got fingers solidly crossed for a reunion tour. You know it.)