Autolux at the Bowery Ballroom: A birthday present for me!
When this show was announced, I knew I had to go. The makers of one of my favorite records of all time (their debut, “Future Perfect”) were playing at a really excellent venue (Bowery Ballroom) on my birthday. That’s kismet!
You guys, there is a guy here who is losing it. He is thrashing around while everyone else is, maybe, AT MOST, swaying. Katie likens it to seeing Animal at an Autolux show.
Autolux makes the interesting, poor choice to start with three new songs. With the new album just out a week and a bit ago and not particularly gaining traction, one must assume that the crowd gathered here is largely first album fans. Throw them (us) a bone! Let me put it this way, every new song, at least one person (sometimes up to six) streamed past me to the bar or the exit, but never for the old stuff. A crowd that sat through an opener that made us coin the term “jambient” is leaving midset. (It does not help that the show is running late and it is, presently, half past goddamned midnight and I’m still waiting on “Blanket.”)
And as soon as I type that, they play “Blanket.” The one super hyper guy and his plus one attract a follower. I am forced to consider the line between “crazy dancing guys whom the crowd is giving a wide berth” and “mosh pit.” (I think it’s about four dudes or six drunk girls.)
After four years of being a fan, I finally got to see Autolux headline. It was pretty great! But I still think I prefer bombastic boom and crash of the first album to the slightly dreamy quality of the second.
