The booker at the Black Cat should be thanking their lucky stars that Paris Texas was on the bill Thursday night. Sandwiched between two of the world's most boring live bands, Paris Texas presented an energetic live set that probably saved many audience members from running to the box office for refunds at the night's end.
Statistics, a low-key three-piece outfit that sounds like they are trying to invoke Mogwai with their extended, resonating guitar riffs, sounded good, but had no stage presence. This was mostly okay since their set was played to an audience of about 20 people, but the lead singer's lame attempts to engage the audience with his rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme was rather pitiful.
Minus the Bear, truly an awful live band (Kenny G is probably better than them), played a nondescript set.
Luckily, Paris Texas and their rather fetching lead singer tore up the stage and actually got the audience's heads bopping, which was quite a feat at this show.
Paris Texas, whose latest album, "Like You Like an Arsonist," fuses elements of emo and pop punk, attacked their set with gusto. With the lead singer and the guitarists tossing themselves about the stage, Paris Texas seemed to belong alongside bands like Matchbook Romance or Letter Kills rather than these mellower indie bands. The band's primary charisma lies in the singer, who threw himself into the music without hesitation.
Maybe some uptight indie hipsters (or maybe just the staff at pitchforkmedia.com) like the kind of slow, dreary sets that bands like Minus the Bear and Statistics play, but I would personally rather stick my head in a blender then see Minus the Bear play again. Minus is right - an F-.
