Editor’s note: The DAM! Fest concludes tonight with Cat Power at 9:30 Club. One of our critics headed out to the Historic Sixth and I Synagogue on Saturday and her thoughts on the show are below. Let us know which DAM! shows you caught and what you thought of them in the comments.
Exit Clov: What can we say about Exit Clov that we haven’t already said? The overwhelming beauty and austerity of the Sixth & I Synagogue was a perfect complement to the Hsu sisters’ velvet harmonies. Their well-orchestrated sounds, whether it was the glittery guitar-work of the energetic Aaron Leeder or the fun hopping that began when all five members started beating on their percussive instrument of choice, filled the high-ceilinged room with ease. Their genre-bending ability kept the audience from ever getting overly comfortable…even though they all remained seated in the pews.
Pela: Brooklyn act and Unbuckled alums Pela was having none of that. They were bitter after sitting in traffic for six hours in traffic and only getting to play a thirty minute set for the trouble. So they let out all that pent up bitterness in an explosion of unbridled rock fervor. Singer Bill McCarthy was clearly hungry for the audience to share in this fervor; inviting everyone to stand up, start dancing, clap their hands and send the band MySpace messages. Sixth & I wasn’t entirely conducive to their brand of rocking out, which channeled equal parts Springsteen and Henry Rollins, but by sheer force of will, Pela put on the outstanding performance of the evening.
Stellastarr*: Much like The Cure, from whom they’re clearly heavily influenced, you either loved Stellastarr* or you didn’t. There were plenty who threw themselves against the pulpit and did what singer Shawn Christensen noted was “a lot of hopping.” The hopping was understandable considering Stellastarr* emanated a lot of rock star mojo and were far from static onstage. Still, it was hard not to sing “Where Is My Mind?” along to first set closer “Jenny” and far too many of their songs sounded exactly the same. But this wasn’t a show that changed anyone’s preconceptions about the band. The true believers won’t stop believing, and the underwhelmed left early…and probably not to head to their afterparty at the Rock and Roll Hotel.
Our apologies to Sanawon for missing their set.
