NXNE Day 2 – No Age @ Lee’s Palace
Continuing my quest for noise, I saw LA duo Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt, also known as No Age, who returned to Lee’s Palace after their last show in November 2008. (Unfortunately, I missed their buddies Mika Miko, an almost entirely-female noise punk band earlier on in the night.) No Age formed after Wives, a hardcore/punk trio dissolved in 2005. The DIY ethic of punk rock is still alive with Randall and Spunt though.
I can understand how noise is not everyone’s thing. It certainly took me a long time to “get it”. What is interesting about noise music, which was clearly evident in No Age, is the use of layers through distortion. You can just barely make out Spunt’s deliciously off-key vocals through the clutter of deafening guitarwork and drums. It was an experience.
The venue choice was a good one. Lee’s Palace has that sunken-in floor that was perfect for the ever enthusiastic moshpit going on.
The one criticism I have about the set last night was how incredibly short it was. It was barely 45 minutes and that’s including the couple minutes Randall spent fixing his guitar string a few songs in. I guess that’s typical of festival shows but it rarely takes a full fifteen minutes to set up and I really wished they squeezed a couple more songs in there.
Highlights included Cappo, Brain Burner, and a new track Randall said was dedicated to the underagers.
Cappo by No Age
Brain Burner by No Age
The special guest turned out to be King Khan and the BBQ who I had seen the night earlier at the Horseshoe. I didn’t stay for their show but I will share this picture of King Khan:
I saw him hanging outside the washrooms downstairs at the Horseshoe and asked if I could get a photo with (WITH) him and needless to say, that did not happen.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that Black Lips’ bassist Jared Swilley chimed in on a song at the King Khan show Thursday. Nobody was attacked.
