Last Friday, we stopped in at The Independent to check out a set from The Antlers. The band has been taking up a gradually expanding spot on our playlists in both San Francisco and New York, and we were curious to see what would come of their live show. Their record, Hospice, is a meticulously crafted masterwork that extensively uses some extremely subtle sonics. As such, we were really interested as to what the band might be able to pull of live. In short: quite a bit.
The show at The Independent is part of the "Sleepy Sun" tour (more dates below), and amidst the band's considerable hype from various sources, the crowd was clearly anxious and excited to hear what the band had to offer. As the set commenced, it became clear that the band's strengths live are the same as those on the record. The set's traversal of Hospice was an epic journey in beautiful melancholy that managed to rise its head above the gloom.
Lead singer Peter Silberman simply has a fantastically beautiful voice. When combined with the outstanding compositions from Hospice, the band somehow manages to make a record that for all intents and purposes should be miserable, completely lovely. And really, that's what it comes down to: The Antlers are making fantastic, brilliant, beautiful music. Yes, it's coated in a veneer of misery, but the reality is that if you haven't heard Hospice or caught the band live, it should go in your calendar. As in, now.
Photos by Ujjwal Sarin
mp3: The Antlers - Kettering
The Antlers, Fall 2009 Dates
Nov 6 THE DOOR w/ Minus The Bear Fort Worth, Texas
Nov 7 JAGZ w/ Minus The Bear Pharr, Texas
Nov 8 WHITE RABBIT w/ Minus The Bear San Antonio, Texas
Nov 10 WORKPLAY THEATER w/ Minus The Bear Birmingham, Alabama
Nov 11 FIRESTONE (Anti-Pop Fest) w/ Minus The Bear Orlando, Florida
Nov 12 40 WATT CLUB w/ Minus The Bear Athens, Georgia
Nov 16 BODEGA Nottingham
Nov 17 13TH NOTE Glasgow, Scotland
Nov 18 DEAF INSTITUTE Manchester
Nov 19 COCKPIT ROOM 3 Leeds
Nov 21 CROSSING BORDER FESTIVAL The Hague
Nov 22 CROSSING BORDER FESTIVAL Antwerp
Nov 24 NOUVEAU CASINO (Les Inrocks) Paris
Nov 25 BUSH HALL London
Nov 27 HOPE Brighton
Nov 28 LENNONS Southampton
Nov 29 LOUISIANA Bristol
Dec 1 CLWB IFOR BACH Cardiff, Wales
Dec 2 SALA APOLO Barcelona
Dec 3 SALA CARACOL Madrid
Dec 4 ACADEMY 2 Dublin
Dec 15 BOWERY BALLROOM w/ Uninhabitable Mansions & Sharon Van Etten! New York, New York
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Antlers Played The Independent - Pictures, Review
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1 comments:
Thanks for the review. I found out about the show too late, but was interested in seeing them. Are you going to Friendly Fires?
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