Band: Los Campesinos!
Venue: The Plush
Location: St. Louis, MO
Tickets: $13 ($15 at door)
Date: 6-16-12
From left to right: Jason’s back, Me and Gareth.
The only way I’m going to make it through this post is to separate my impressions of the concert from my fangirlish excitement at seeing one of my favorite bands again.
Unfortunately for you, this is impossible. Suffer or enjoy! Your choice!
So, firstly, this was my brand new cars first road trip. I’m proud to say that Cas made it there and back again like a champ. It was a comfortable road trip with James (my brother), Nicole (my brother’s girlfriend and one of my friends) and Jimmy (one of my close friends). So, I went with seriously great people. The hours of driving don’t seem so bad when people are willing to laugh and make puns.
We get to St. Louis with plenty of time before the concert and are deciding where to eat. Lo and behold, the venue for the concert has a restaurant. This restaurant would have been worth visiting regardless of the concert. The Plush was an amazing place. Their menu was INSANE. They had Banana French Toast MADE OUT OF BANANA BREAD. They had PORRIDGE. They had TIE-DYE NAPKINS!
Also, as we were waiting for our drinks, James says, “Allyson, there appear to be several people of the distinctly British looking variety in the space across the street playing soccer” (I swear he said it like that).
I turn around, and yes. There are some of the band members playing football (soccer) in the space across the street. I was then incredibly antsy because I really wanted the concert to start.
But I digress. The restaurant was great and after a fantastic meal, we moved into the actual venue. The Plush has a great setup with plenty of floor space, a nice bar in the back and a second floor overlooking the stage. I insisted on getting spots to stand that were very close to the front, so we were directly behind the people directly in front of the stage (mouthful of a sentence). The schematic is below:
Stage Map of the Concert. The letters on the stage are the members of the band. From left to right: Robert, Neil, Gareth, Jason, Kim, Ellen and Tom.
Don’t worry. I’ll get to some of the weird descriptions in the Key later.
The opening band was Yellow Ostrich. Three men, a bajillion instruments, and a song about a whale. No stretch to say they were entertaining and a perfect opening act to LC!. For the first few days after the concert, I pretty much had Yellow Ostrich playing on repeat. Check out these songs:
Then we get to the main event. And remember how much I loved LC! in LA? Turns out, I loved them just as much here.
They have such a fun way about them that it’s hard not to immediately get caught up in the spirit of mature juvenile delinquency. Ah, yes. The world falls away as we recall adventures of our misspent youth (I can speak this way. I’m an old 22).
Anywho. Here are some of my favorite memories from this concert.
They opened with “By Your Hand.” An excellent choice since it sets the tone for the rest of the concert as upbeat (even when sad) and cheeky (even when serious). “By Your Hand” is possibly LC!’s catchiest song, and it has one of my favorite lines from the album in it:
“I’m not sure if it’s love anymore, but I’ve been thinking of you fondly for sure.”
A few songs later, we get to the title track of their newest album, “Hello Sadness.” This song has become a definite favorite of mine. It’s really sad (not that you’d expect a song called “Hello Sadness” to be sad, right?), but kind of nice. Recognizing the extent of the devastation so you can move on, right? Well, this song is also great live. Fist Bump Guy most emphatically agreed that,
“It’s only hope [fist bump] that springs eternal. And that’s [enthused fist bump] the reason why this dripping [forlorn fist bump] from my broken heart is never [resigned fist bump] running dry.”
Fist Bump Guy really underscored the potency of the lyrics.
Kim, Ellen and Tom rocking out.
Then they change the pace with some “Life Is A Long Time.” A great song, but it definitely shifts the vibe of the concert. Gareth knows this. He tells us after the song is over that we should all remember this when we’re in the music business: always follow up an unpopular slow song with a popular faster song! With those sage words, they start “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.”
Now, here’s where Chatty Chick, Fist Bump Guy and I really start working together. See, it’s dawned on us that we are awesome. We know all the words, we know all the names of the band members (there’s seven of them…it’s impressive to know them all) and we are kindred spirits for the next half hour or so. Chatty Chick at one point leans over to me and thanks me for knowing all the words. She said I was one of her favorite people and that I was lovely. Chatty Chick, if you ever read these words, know that the feeling was mutual.
Fist Bump Guy…you almost punched me. Your passion does you credit, but I would’ve taken you down. I may have been outweighed and outheighted (I’m making it a word), but I would not have been outmatched…seriously, I get mean.
But, we put aside our differences and managed to jump and scream and act crazy like dedicated fans are supposed to when a kickass song like “WAB” comes on.
But, for me, the best part of the concert came right. It still makes me shake my head wonderingly. You know how you have that one song from a band that actually makes you listen to them for real? You just hear the music or the words and actively seek out more? “Knee Deep At ATP” was that song for me and LC!. It started my dedication to them. And they played it. I recorded it and put it up on my YouTube page. My friend Jimmy takes my phone midway through because he is way taller than me. Gives it a better vantage point. My apologies for my singing leaking through.
So, the things you need to know about this concert:
- You should’ve been there.
- The audience was a little crazy and a lot awesome.
- Driving over three hours in rainy conditions (and almost hitting a deer) wasn’t a big deal because everyone in the car started reliving our favorite memories of the concert.
- I finally got Gareth to sign my shirt.
- Gareth’s voice was a little shaky in some of the songs, but the energy of everyone in the room made it impossible to care.
Setlist from the show. Nicole grabbed one from a guy packing up some of the instruments. She then gave it to me because she’s awesome. Seriously, she’s great. Oh yeah, and I managed to wrangle 7 signatures for this bad boy.
Concert: A
Venue: A
Drink Prices: B
Audience: A-
Overall: A
