saw Xiu Xiu on St. Patrick's Day. amazing stuff! Jamie Stewart is very polite during sound check
"...if you could spare a little more [volume] on the guitar, that would be great...if not, that's okay..."
opening act Noveller was really good; a one woman experimental guitar ambient act. some amazing texture with just a guitar and a loop pedal
the second band, Tune Yards, was literally THEE worst band i've ever seen live... and i've seen Korn and Nite Jewel. you know when you're working out, doing yoga or getting a root canal and you just focus on an object to take your mind off the pain? i was doing that for their whole set. TY's consist of two members: a douchey bass player and a loud and obnoxious singer/ukulele player/drummer
EVERY song starts with the singer yodeling or making ga ga goo goo noises into a looper, then she thumps out some "ironic" hip hop beats, then turns the looper back on and sings like Janis Joplin.
the worst part is that the entire crowd loved them.
thankfully Xiu Xiu played a nice loud set complete with Nintendo DS solos, screeching oscillators and duck calls.
i got a pink shirt that says "I
Xiu Xiu & Cats" and it was only the second gayest bit of merch available