Crystal Stilts - Green Door Store, Brighton, 23/11/2014
by Dastardly
published: 3 / 4 / 2014
intro
At the Green Door Store in Brighton, Dastardly watches Brooklyn-based post punks Crystal Stilts play an effortlessly enthralling show
You’ve just been to a gig. You come out and go to your car (er...if you’ve got a car that is). On the windscreen is a parking ticket. Do you a) swear repeatedly as you snatch the plastic covering out from under the windscreen wiper or b) carefully lift up the wiper blade, remove the parking ticket and place into your pocket while thinking to yourself “Oh well, I must pay more attention to the surrounding signage”? If it’s ‘b)’ then it’s quite likely you’ve just been to see NYC’s Crystal Stilts dispense 40 or so minutes of sublime garage surf pop, and it will take a lot more than a parking ticket to winch you back down. Earlier that evening Crystal Stilts shuffled onto the stage at Brighton’s Green Door Store silhouetted against a backdrop of bright orange and yellow light. There’s always been something effortless about this Brooklyn based four-piece and tonight, midway through a tour across ‘Yurp’ (© George W. Bush, 2001), they are as unphased as ever. A broken string early on raises the odd eyebrow but nothing more. Thankfully they have amiable keyboard player Kyle on hand to plug the gap and display an impressive knowledge of Brighton via a bored afternoon read through of the town’s Wikipedia page. With the set list re-arranged drummer Keegan slams into 'Sycamore Tree' from second album ‘In Love With Oblivion’. It’s a heady insistent tune not unlike the Doors' ‘Run With Me’, and by the end of it the inhabitants of the Green Door Store are held firmly in the band’s grasp. Guitarist JB is on fine form tonight. Rather than relying just on pedals for sounds he wrenches out those scratchy 60's riffs with a blurred right hand doing most of the work. ‘Future Folklore’ from the new album outvelvets the Velvets and the other new songs shine just as bright - title track ‘Nature Noir’ is almost baroque in its twists and turns, and ‘Star Crawl’ proves they can do hypnotizing at any speed. Singer Brad meanwhile proves that sometimes doing pretty much nothing can look iconic. I guess it depends if you are inherently iconic. Back catalogue classics ‘Sugar Baby’ and ‘Shake the Shackles’ have everyone grooving. Then in amongst it all we get a surprise cover as the Stranglers ‘Duchess’ is given a spirited rendition reminding us that the Meninblack were similarly partial to a bit of 60's garage. Tonight Crystal Stilts prove that they’re a band that’s still growing. Armed with the dark library intent of Interpol and the slick bubblegum playground pop nouse of the Stone Roses, they remain an intriguing prospect for global superstardom... All they need now is for the rest of us to catch up.
Band Links:-
http://www.crystalstilts.com/https://www.facebook.com/crystalstiltsofficial/
Picture Gallery:-
soundcloud
reviews |
Nature Noir (2013) |
Slowed-down but compelling third album from acclaimed Brooklyn-based post-punk band, Crystal Stilts |
Radiant Door EP (2011) |
Shake the Shackles (2011) |
Departure (2009) |
most viewed articles
current edition
The Church - Interview with Steve KilbeySimon Heavisides - Destiny Stopped Screaming: The Life and Times of Adrian Borland
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.
Secret Shine - Interview
Vetchinsky Settings - Interview
Repomen - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Jack Roscoe - Interview
Near Jazz Experience - Interview
Sami Sumner - Interview
Flaming Stars - Interview
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPPrisoners - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Allan Clarke - Interview
Michael Lindsay Hogg - Interview
Jimmy Nail - Interview
Jonny Fluffypunk - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Bluebells - Interview with Ken McCluskey
most viewed reviews
current edition
Lewis 'Burner' Pugh - Bullets for BreadIan Hunter - Defiance Part 2: Fiction
Inutili - A Love Supreme
Kula Shaker - Natural Magick
Smalltown Tigers - Crush On You
Hillbilly Moon Explosion - Back in Time
My Life Story - Loving You is Killing Me
David Cross Band - Ice Blue Silver Sky
Beyonce - Cowboy Carter
Ty Segall - Three Bells
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart