amazingbaby881

Amazing Baby, Nobunny, Hunx & His Punx, Lightspeed Champion, TPOBPAH & more in This Week In Indie

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Amazing Baby – Smoke Bros (MP3)

Amazing Baby
Amazing Baby

“I actually miss the days when you just wrote about Amazing Baby in eeevery post.” – BV commenter Eric Serpa | June 4, 2009 4:59 PM

This one’s for you, dude. Yes it has been a while since Amazing Baby have graced this column which started almost exactly a year ago and were featured in my inaugural post. Since then, the band have gone through a few line-up changes, expanded, contracted, and toured Europe a couple times (once with buddies MGMT). The band open for Phoenix at Terminal 5 this Friday (6/19) and will release their debut album, Rewild, on Tuesday, June 23. (It’s out now on iTunes.) Few are more aware than me that a lot of people seem to dislike this band, though I think most of that comes from the company they keep and their image more than the music itself.

Do they have questionable taste when it comes to fashion, their album covers and music videos? Maybe, but I don’t think you can accuse Amazing Baby of the same, musically, or jumping on any bandwagons. Rewild is psychedelic without being being retro, danceable at times, heavy, glammy, catchy as hell and full of inventive arrangements and production. It rocks and swoons and sounds great loud. And they don’t sound like any single other band out there. You can download “Smoke Bros” (which reminds me of Shriekback a little bit) at the top of this post. And you can stream the whole album at their MySpace.

Lightspeed Champion

Still reading? Phoenix’s openers at tomorrow’s (6/18) Music Hall of Williamsburg is Lightspeed Champion. That show is beyond sold-out, but tonight (6/17), he’s playing a warm up show at Mercury Lounge, which will be his first in a long time. Dev has become a Brooklyn resident in the last year, which is where he also recorded his still-untitled second solo album (due in Oct.) with help from the Spacecamp boys who will also be his backing band at both shows. As a fan of last year’s underrated Falling Off the Lavendar Bridge, I’m anxious to hear Dev’s new material. Tickets are still available.

Spacecamp are also playing a set of their own at Mercury Lounge, opening the night, though you’d think it would’ve made more sense for them to play next-to-last and just have Dev come out and join them for a seamless transition, but I am a blogger not a stage manager. The band now have a full-time keyboardist in the mix which has made them a bit funkier (clavinet tends to do that). You can can get an idea of that in the footage Joly shot from Spacecamp’s Annex show two weeks ago (below). In between Spacecamp and Lightspeed are Apache Beat and New Orleans’ Hurray for the Riff Raff.

Nobunny
Nobunny

The show I’m most looking forward to this week, though, is this Friday (6/19) at Bruar Falls: Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, German Measels, Baby Shakes and The Beets. I wrote about Nobunny the last time he was through town, having just caught him at SXSW, and his shows are fun and creepy all at the same time. (It’s that mask.) If you haven’t heard his debut, Love Visions, it’s a lot of fun if you like bare-bones Ramones style punky pop. He recently put out a cassette-only album, Raw Romance, of demos and outtakes that was also pretty good — it’s sold out but maybe he’ll have copies on tour with him. Nobunny also plays an all-ages show at Death by Audio two nights later (6/21).

Hunx

The whole evening at Bruar Falls sounds like fun. Hunx and His Punx look and sound like they lept out of a John Waters movie and judging by their music videos I can only hope they bring that level of camp to their live show. Hunx has a new single out, “Teardrops on My Telephone,” on Jay Reatard‘s Shattered label (also home to Nobunny). You can see the video for that song below. Hunx is playing a bunch of shows and parties this week, and all his dates are at the bottom of this post.

Also: the girl group punk of Baby Shakes; German Measels’ fake mustache pop; and The Beets who seem to play every four days but I’ve enjoyed every show I’ve seen of theirs (including two previous at Bruar Falls).

Other shows of note: there’s a TWII-approved line-up at Glasslands on tonight (6/17): Sisters, My Teenage Stride, and Knight School. All the bands are good, but if you haven’t seen Sisters yet, you should really rectify that as soon as possible. On of my all time favorite new local bands of the moment.

Crocodiles are back in town, playing Union Pool on Thursday (6/18) and Mercury Lounge on Saturday (6/20). I don’t care what Pitchfork says, I think their album is pretty good and they were fun at Pianos earlier this year.

And it wouldn’t be a proper TWII column without mentioning this year’s Twee as Fuck party at Cake Shop. TaF is a monthy party in London, as well as a fanzine and label, and they bring it over here in June. I went to last year’s moderately-attended event which featured Afternoon Naps, Bears, and Pains at Being Pure at Heart who are headlining again this year though it’s an understatement to say that things have changed for them. Not that they don’t totally deserve it, but it still boggles my mind that the Pains have become a big as they have. TPOBPAH just announced a fall tour and those dates are below. Their next NYC show after Cake Shop is at South Street Seaport (home of tonight’s Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Show).

With a lineup that also includes their Slumberland labelmates Crystal Stilts and Cause Co-Motion, as well as London’s Hatcham Social, this is gonna be one super-packed, sweaty night at Cake Shop. Advance tickets are sold out, but there are a few available at the door if you get there early. Doors are at 7pm.

That’s it for this week. Flyers, videos, and tour dates are after the jump….

Baby Shakes
Baby ShakeS

Amazing Baby – “Head Dress” (New Version)

Amazing Baby

Amazing Baby – 2009 Tour Dates
Jun 16 La Tulipe w/ Phoenix Montreal
Jun 17 Paradise Rock Club w/ Phoenix Boston, Massachusetts
Jun 19 Terminal 5 w/ Phoenix New York, New York
Jun 21 Rock and Roll Hotel w/ Phoenix Washington DC
Jun 23 Varsity w/ Phoenix Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jun 25 Bluebird w/ Phoenix Denver, Colorado
Jun 27 Regency Center – Grand Ballroom w/ Phoenix San Francisco, California
Jun 28 The Wiltern w/ Phoenix Los Angeles, California
Jul 2 Hammer Museum Los Angeles, California
Jul 16 Hoxton Bar & Grill London
Jul 17 Latitude Festival Suffolk, South
Jul 18 Melt Festival Ferropolis
Jul 19 Dour Festival Dour
Jul 20 Nouveau Casino Paris
Jul 21 Festival De Affaire Nijmegen
Aug 7 Lollapalooza Chicago, Illinois

Space Kamp flyer

Space Kamp flyer

Spacecamp – Denial @ The Annex 5/30/2009

Nobunny – 2009 Tour Dates
Jun 16 w/ THE MUMMIES! SARDINIA
Jun 19 w/ HUNX & HIS PUNX! @ Bruer Falls BROOKLYN, New York
Jun 21 w/ UZI RASH @ Death By Audio ALL AGES BROOKLYN
Jul 4 BURGER BOOGALOO! @ The Knockout SAN FRAN PSYCHO, California
Jul 15 21+ 5 Star Bar LOS ANGELES, California
Jul 17 JOHNNY RAD FEST 2!!!!! SAN DIE-GO-GO!, California
Jul 18 ALLAGES @ 5 Star Bar LOS ANGELES, California
Sep 2 w/ DAVILLA 666! @ The Parkside SAN FRAN PSYCHO, California
Sep 24 2GONERFEST 6! MEMPHIS, Tennessee

Hux

Hunx and his punx

Hunx and His Punx – “Teardrops on My Telephone”

Hunx and His Punx – 2009 Tour Dates
Jun 18 THE SWAT BAR 59 CANAL STREET FLOOR 2 NEW YORK, New York
Jun 19 BUTT MAGAZINE PARTY @ Knitting Factory w/ SALEM & SISSY NOBBY (we play at 9pm) New York, New York
Jun 19 BRUAR FALLS w/ NOBUNNY, THE BEETS + BABYSHAKES (we play at 11 or 12) BROOKLYN, New York
Jun 26 PORTLAND @ THE EAST END PORTLAND, Oregon
Jun 27 THE WILDROSE (PRIDE WEEK) w/ LESLIE & THE LYS, Duchess & The Duke, ETC SEATTLE, Washington
Jun 28 THE FUNHOUSE (daytime show) 4PM w/ THE ONONOS SEATTLE, Washington
Jul 16 JJ RAD FEST @ Ken Club w/ Sneaky Pinks & MORE! SAN DIEGO, California
Jul 17 The Troubadour w/ The Donnas HOLLYWOOD, California
Jul 18 SECRET LA SHOW LOS ANGELES, California
Aug 1 Club Feral (the last one) @ PARK SIDE w/ shannon and the clams and terran tramantics SAN FRANCISCO, California
Aug 13 HOMO A GO GO (Aug 13-16) SAN FRANCISCO, California

Crocodiles – “I Wanna Kill” @ Pianos

Crocodiles – 2009 Tour Dates
Jun 18 UNION POOL Brooklyn, New York
Jun 20 MERCURY LOUNGE New York, New York
Jun 23 BEACHLAND TAVERN Cleveland, Ohio
Jun 26 BLUEBIRD THEATRE Denver, Colorado
Jun 27 TRUNKSPACE Phoenix, Arizona
Jul 11 PARADISO Amsterdam
Jul 12 OLD BLUE LAST London
Jul 14 K4 Nurnburg
Jul 15 BANG BANG CLUB Berlin
Jul 21 HANA BI Ravenna
Jul 22 PARKLIFE FESTIVAL Milan
Jul 30 WHELANS Dublin
Aug 1 BUFFALO BAR Cardiff
Aug 4 BARDENS BOUDOIR London
Aug 29 STREET SCENE San Diego, California

The Pains at Being Pure at Heart – “Young Adult Friction”

The Pains at Being Pure at Heart – 2009 Tour Dates
Jun 18 2009 Cake Shop New York, New York #
July 10 2009 South Street Seaport New York, New York % (FREE)
July 18 2009 Pitchfork Fest Chicago, Illinois
July 20 2009 The Echo Los Angeles, California *
July 21 2009 The Rickshaw Stop San Fransisco, California *
July 23 2009 Backspace Portland, Oregon *
July 24 2009 Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC *
July 25 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party Seattle, Washington
Sep 05 2009 Middle East Downstairs, Boston, Massachusetts &+
Sep 06 2009 La Sala Rossa Montreal, Quebec &+
Sep 07 2009 Horeshoe Tavern Toronto, Ontario &+
Sep 08 2009 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois &+
Sep 09 2009 Stage Door at the Orpheum Madison, Wisconsin &+
Sep 10 2009 The Slowdown Omaha, Nebraska &+
Sep 12 2009 Monolith Festival Morrison, Colorado
Sep 13 2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah &+
Sep 14 2009 Neurolux Boise, Idaho &+
Sep 17 2009 MFNW / Doug Fir Portland, Oregon &+
Sep 21 2009 Casbah San Diego, California &+
Sep 22 2009 Club Congress Tucson, Arizona &+
Sep 24 2009 Lola’s Fort Worth, Texas &+
Sep 25 2009 The Mohawk Austin, Texas &+
Sep 26 2009 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, Louisiana &+
Sep 27 2009 Club Downunder Tallahassee, Florida &+
Sep 28 2009 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia &+
Sep 29 2009 Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina &+
Sep 30 2009 Black Cat, Washington DC &+
Oct 01 2009 Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland &+
Oct 05 2009 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania &+

% = w/ Zaza
# = w/ Crystal Stilts
* = w/ Girls
& = w/ The Depreciation Guild
+ = w/ Cymbals Eat Guitars