Large crowds gathered at the Black Cat last Saturday to hear indie rock favorite Minus the Bear play a sold-out show. As the crowd filtered in, Chicago post-rock trio Russian Circles opened up the night with their brand of heavy post-rock that is akin to Isis and Explosions in the Sky. The band set feet tapping and heads banging and their heavy metal-esque riffs were a good, energetic start to the evening.
If there was a low point in the evening, it came with the next band, Velvet Teen. While musically exceptional, this California trio suffered from one fatal flaw, "lead-singeritis." The lead singer yelled, screamed and stumbled around on stage, often taking breaks to yell at the crowd through his megaphone in an annoying, nasal voice. The fact that he was obviously intoxicated did not help the band's cause either. Although the music was sound and the drummer was phenomenal, the band proved to be the only low point in an otherwise great concert line-up.
The next act was hip-hop emcee P.O.S. On a bill with several rock bands, it seemed as if P.O.S. would stick out like a sore thumb. P.O.S. addressed the preconceptions of his music before his set saying, "I know there's like two hours of rock but this is 45 minutes of hip-hop. P.O.S. and D.C. don't have too good a history but tonight I say fuck that."
As soon as he stated his intentions the beats kicked from his DJ, Turbo Nemesis, and P.O.S. launched into a set of energetic, punk rock-styled hip-hop from his new album, "Audition." It got the crowd moving, cheering, singing and throwing their hands in the air as if they didn't care.
Minus the Bear then took the stage and played an energetic set complete with fan favorites, new songs and old songs for their die-hard fans. The band opened with "Michio's Death Drive" and then launched into "Memphis and 53rd" and "Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse."
Minus the Bear, normally known for their laid-back approach to indie music, were noticeably more energetic for the D.C. crowd, as guitarist Dave Knudson kicked and worked up a sweat alongside singer Jake Snider. New songs like "Ice Monster" and "Electric Rainbow" were well received and Minus the Bear continued their lively set with fan favorites "Hooray" and "The Game Needed Me."
Minus the Bear finished up their active set with "Let's Play Guitar in a 5 Guitar Band," inviting fellow rockers from Velvet Teen up to sing the famous last lines of the song. The crowd cheered and clapped for more as Minus the Bear took the stage for an encore of "Fine + 2 Points," "Pachuca Sunrise" and "Women We Haven't Met Yet." The crowd screamed and clapped in approval as Minus the Bear capped off a great night and a great bill of diverse music.
