all words: William Alberque
all photos: Kimberly Cadena
After the sure-to-be-legendary performance of Florence and the Machine at the 930 Club, I decided to sprint down the street to DC9 to try to catch another great pair of bands. Rains, pours.
As I type, I hardly have the energy to review Class Actress (and, if you read the Flo-piece, I’m sure I’ve exhausted your patience), so just briefly – Elizabeth Harper, from NYC, started with a great Smiths pastiche (“Trouble in the Palace”), passing through singer-songwriter territory before landing in her latest band incarnation as an electro band (“Someone Real”) with occasional forays into Power Corruption and Lies-esque genius (the utterly-sublime “Let Me Take You Out”). They opened recently in NYC for Little Boots – I can definitely see why – but C.A. are better served in a club like DC9 or RnR, where the intimacy creates the right atmosphere. Even the bootleggers have gotten into one of their tracks to excellent effect.
Tuesday night, Class Actress opened for Solid Gold and wow – they are terrific live – this time playing as a duo (voice/keys and guitar/keys) – with Elizabeth reproducing the sultry vocals of the EP effortlessly. The two of them weaved quite a spell, and I was glad to see copies of the 10″ Class Actress EP, titled the Journal of Ardency, available at the show (also on iTunes). Well worth the purchase. The title track from the EP was especially winning.
Solid Gold headline, and they are a revelation. I had heard a Tanlines remix of one of their songs, but live they skirt the edge of keyboard-driven shoegaze – closer to In Ghost Colours by Cut Copy than Junior Boys.
Solid Gold = worst smelling band ever. If you’re going be 30 days showerless rockers who don’t bathe because, fuck you, then quit fixing your hair onstage
She was the last performance I saw at SXSW and absolutely killed it.
I’m so upset I missed this show.
@victoryrose – funny you say that about her wardrobe at the little boots show, b/c the boyfriend shirt choice inspired debate at the dc9 show. General consensus was she pulled it off, but there was a lot of dissent. She did sound good.
thanks for the great pictures, kimberly! apologies to class actress and solid gold for such a crap review – they both deserve better than my poor words.
so, i was at the little boots show. and i saw class actress. i can say with 100% certainty that – that night – they were one of the worst live acts i have seen in ages.
it was after that i heard their eps and i continue to be so absolutely confused. looking at these photos, it was definitely her at the highline…but, holy hell. maybe she was wasted? maybe she was nervous? maybe the sound guy used some evil device that made her vocals flat and painful?
also, at the little boots show, elizabeth was dressed like a reject from xanadu. that didn’t help matters at all…i will take the men’s button-up any day.
i’m going to need to see her again – preferably at a place like dc9 – to be able to move on and love them.