Even if the Young Knives sucked (which they most certainly don’t) I would go see them for the in-between song banter alone. The brothers, Henry Dartnall and House of Lords, appear to hate each other and find the stage a prime time to point out the flaws of the other in ways that basically shock and awe.

More photos after the jump…
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I love love LOVE the Futureheads. They remind me of bands that I would’ve discovered while going through my older brother’s vinyl collection, sandwiched between his Jam and Clash records. Their new single, “The Beginning of the Twist” can be downloaded for free (and legally) here. Their live show is filled with a ton of spastic energy and coordinated dance moves that makes you wish watching them would never end.

Opening band, Chief, are one of my new favorite bands. They all live in NYC for college I think, but they’re from LA. When I watch them I feel transcended and stoned (even when not smoking the reefer)… they just have that nice sunny LA-vibe that is such a delight to hear in NYC. Their sound is a mix of Kings of Leon and Tom Petty. You can hear their songs, and download their songs on their myspace.

THE FUTUREHEADS:

CHIEF:

tons of more photos after the jump:
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Ludo are one of the bands I would least likely be suspected of liking. Their music is a quirky mix of They Might Be Giants meets Liam Lynch. Now, I know that Liam Lynch is like the most obscure reference I could pull out of my ass, but much like Lynch, you really never know what you’re going to get from Ludo with each song. It could be a rock opera about dinosaurs a la Queen, or a power pop song about God knows what. Either way, they have easily the best merch ever: PILLOW CASES!

More photos after the Jump:
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Sorry for the horrific delay in back posts… I’ve been busy with my new job/company at an actual office, so I sometimes can’t update as often as I’d like. But that’s going to change, I can promise you that.

Here’s photos of Apache Beat that I took at MisShapes on June 7th. They were a great mix of Bauhaus and Siouxie and the Banshees… definitely a band to keep your eye on in the future (more photos after the jump):

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I fucking love Samantha Moore for two reasons: 1. She reminds me so much of my first roommate Elizabeth Goodman, whom I love. 2. She is young enough to not know about the hype that surrounded Smoosh a few years ago. Reading her show reviews is like reading my blog back in 2003 when we had the first wave of Strokes-like bands that were actually the Strokes. I sent her to see Tokyo Police Club at Bowery Ballroom so she could have one of her “I was there!!” moments. Check back here in a couple weeks when we post an acoustic performance by the band, filmed in my living room about a year and a half ago when David Monks used to call my couch a bed. Here’s her story:

Pics after the jump
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This is the very second TICKET GIVEAWAY TUESDAY!!!

Now, you might be saying to yourself, “What does that mean, Ultragrrrl?”

I’ll tell you what it means! It means that the fine folks at Almack’s actually purchased a pair of tickets for you to WIN. No purchase necessary.

Find out the insane tickets you can win this week, how to enter and last week’s winner of 2 Coachella three day passes after the jump.
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A couple days ago I was watching MTV when they had a new promo for the 52 Artists in 52 Weeks campaign (by the way, the publicity for the campaign is pretty under the radar… I dont think the general public understands what’s going on. they need to brand it better). On the screen was this adorable Irish guy named Paddy Casey with artistic promos that reminded me a lot of 1999. Being a marketers dream, I was watching while on my laptop and immediately purchased his latest album. Then I just happened to check the local listings of shows in the area and found out that he was playing in NYC on Thursday. I made sure I could see him play.

[videos and review after the jump]
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Aaah!!!! I’m in complete bliss! Tonight is probably one of the most musically amazing packed nights that NYC has ever seen on a non-CMJ evening in YEARS. God, it was just fucking incredible. I am so fucking happy to be alive.

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“Adorable.” “Cute.” “Swedish.” These are all words that get thrown around by bloggers whenever Jens Lekman plays a show, and this past Saturday’s soiree seems to be no different. This was my fourth timing seeing the oh-so-silent one, but only my first time seeing him in the past year. After taking such a long break from him, I figured I would be treated to a new stage show, maybe a new set, and I was even holding out some hope for some new banter and stories. You see, about two years ago I had a good friend make a trip to Philadelphia to see Lekman, and she came back gushing about his witty repartee with the crowd, his all-girl band, and the various other quirks that have come to define his live shows. Because of her ecstatic review, I decided to venture out and see him for the first time. Adorable, cute, Swedish.

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Andrew Borin used to belong to a Hasidic street gang that would ride bicycles all over Los Angeles tagging properties with pink Stars of David. He is guest writing today’s show review for Almack’s because he’s all sorts of awesome. Lastnight he pranced over to Pianos in the oddly warm April Fools’ evening to check out your new favorite singer, Sierra Swan. Here’s his review:

Let me just preface this entry by saying I’m not usually one for moody girl singers, but I was having a total Lilith Fair moment yesterday. What with the weather being so nice in New York I decided to head over to Piano’s and watch singer/song writer Sierra Swan perform. In today’s musical landscape its difficult to find a pop singer that can actually make quality music, think Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor. However, Sierra Swan joins those women in the rankings. Her robust voice is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse yet she utilizes it to create sultry and haunting melodies. She’s obviously a veteran performer, the entire show felt as if she was performing in her living room.
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Our friend Katherine Hulit managed to get into the sold out Simian Mobile Disco show at the Museum of Natural History’s Hayen Planitarium, so we naturally asked her to tell us how it was:

Going to a show at a museum is not always as awesome as you think its gonna be. Sure in your head it sounds amazing. When I got invited to go see Simian Mobile Disco at the Natural History Museum planetarium my head pretty much exploded. Not only am I a huge fan of S.M.D. but I am also a huge fan of the natural history museums and planetariums and other awesome shit. Basically it couldn’t be more perfect…. IN MY MIND, reality is a whole nother story.

more after the jump Read more »

The thing I love about this blog is that it makes me go out to see bands I probably wouldnt normally think to see. Your Vegas is one of them, and Ludo is another. I probably never would’ve left my cozy apartment on a freezing night to see a rock show. God, another band playing apathetically for a bunch of bored scenesters… not how I want to spend my night.

So when I arrived at the venue and my name wasn’t on the list, I took it as kismet. But being the dedicated blogger that I am, I stood outside in the cold with my ear to the door (literally, i stood at outside with my ear to the door keeping notes). I heard the singer (i think, i couldnt see him) of Ludo say “If you’re existing and in this room, clap your hands!” and what sounded like a stadium started clapping enthusiastically, before a member shouted “I cant wait to make that my avatar.”

As I stood in the cold, one of my favorite security guards came out saying to a friend “Yo, this is a hot show tonight, yo I don’t think I can hear anymore!”

How I got inside and videos after the jump
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Almack’s Dance Hall Contributing writer, Samantha Moore, went to see the Crib’s last night and survived… barely. Here’s her report:

The Cribs hold a very special place in my heart. They were the first band I ever saw live way back when I was just a wee Catholic schoolgirl. They were opening for Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie in May 2006. This was a period in my life when I had just recently started down the road to musical obsession and this concert was sort of like my induction to the British Indie Fan Club. To this day, they remain one of the only bands I have seen live and instantly fallen in love with without ever having heard any of their music. Last night when I saw them at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, it was like the experience I had two years ago, but like times a million.

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I’m saying this in the nicest way possible: Watching Great Northern makes me want to shoot myself in the head and end everything right there and have them as the last thing I hear. I don’t get it. I think that their songs are just so fucking moving that I can’t handle it sometimes and become dizzy with emotion. It’s kind of like how I feel whenever I see Interpol or Sigur Ros live. But unlike those two bands, GN are still small enough that I was able to stand up against the stage.
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A year or two ago I saw Lily Allen get on stage at the Hiro Ballroom for her first ever New York City performance. How I got those tickets is beyond me, but I was there! It was like her coronation into our American hearts, and her debutant ball all in one. Last night’s Duffy performance wasn’t much different.

The teeny tiny 19-year-old soulful singer took the stage like a woman twice her stature and twice her age. Confidence spewing out and looking like she walked out of a photoshoot from the 60s (or at least a photoshoot doubling as Broadway’s Kristin Chenoweth). She should be called Duffy Springfield.
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