Kurt Vile adds free Brooklyn show (dates), played Europa w/ Wild Yaks (who are playing Hex Fest) - pics & review
by Andrew Frisicano
Kurt Vile @ Europa
Kurt Vile fit three shows into a recent two-day NYC trip. The first was a solo performance at an invite-only party at Public Assembly early Tuesday night (11/17). Later that night, he played a show at Europa with the Violators behind him and opening sets from Wild Yaks, Pink Reason and Home Blitz. Then on Wednesday (11/18), KV&V opened up for Big Star at Brooklyn Masonic Temple.
Kurt Vile and the Black Keys added a New Year’s Day show after their NYE show in Chicago. In addition to his February tour with Fucked Up (the NYC dates of which are on sale), Kurt Vile will be playing a free show at Brooklyn Bowl on Tuesday, December 1st with Small Black and DJ Rezound (as part of the Fader Bowl series).
The next show for Wild Yaks happens Saturday, November 28th at the Living Room. The gig is part of Hex Fest that’s happening at Cake Shop, Pianos, the Living Room and Googies the same day. The lineup for that includes Das Racist, Your Nature, Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit, Weird Owl and others. Tickets and days passes are on sale.
More pictures and words on the Kurt Vile/Wild Yaks show at Europa are below…
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At Europa, Kurt Vile & The Violators played as a three-piece. The last time I saw them, at Bruar Falls, Jesse Turbo was one of the highlights, with fuzzed-out guitar leads, harmonica and sax bursts, and always a crazy glint in his eye. His absence was distinctly felt.
The band opened and closed with subdued numbers, filling the middle with crowd-pleasers like “Hunchback” and “Freak Train.” Those are both balls-out jams that give guitarist Adam Granduciel and drummer Mike Zeng the freedom to dig in, particularly on top of the run-away drum-machine pulse of “Freak Train.” Zeng plays without a hi-hat, and fills the gap with a steady, defining floor tom beat. On those quiet songs though, Vile’s fingerpicking skills were upfront and impressive.
Up before Kurt Vile were Wild Yaks (who themselves followed Pink Reason and Home Blitz, who I missed). Frontman Rob Bryn worked through guitar problems to start out, but it didn’t seem to matter much – once he got the trouble fixed he still barely played his guitar, opting to flail and thrust himself into the band’s more emphatic singalongs. Between Bryn’s manic gestures, the kick drum inching closer and closer toward the precipice of the stage and the ramshackle group vocals, Wild Yaks were crazed and communal in all the right ways. Their new record, 10 Ships (Don’t Die Yet!), came out November 3rd on Ernest Jenning Record Co.
Wild Yaks…
Kurt Vile…
Wild Yaks – 2009 Tour Dates
Nov 28 Hex Fest @ Living Room New York, New York
Kurt Vile – 2009/10 Tour Dates
Dec 01 Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn, New York
Dec 08 Maus Habitos Porto
Dec 09 Fragil Lisbon
Dec 10 Primavera Club @ Sidecar Barcelona
Dec 11 Primavera Club @ Wurlitzer Madrid
Dec 12 State X New Forms Festival Den Haag
Dec 13 Twisted Pepper Dublin
Dec 14 The Deaf Institute Manchester
Dec 15 The Lexington (Uncut Night) London
Dec 16 Le Scopitone Paris
Dec 17 Les Ateliers Claus Brussells
Dec 31 The Riviera Chicago, Illinois #
Jan 01 The Riviera Chicago, Illinois #
Jan 08 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @
Feb 12 The ‘Sco (Dionysus Disco)Oberlin, Ohio !
Feb 13 Empty Bottle Chicago, Illinois !
Feb 14 The Video Saloon Bloomington, Indiana !
Feb 15 Southgate House Cincinatti !
Feb 16 Otto Bar Baltimore, Maryland !
Feb 17 Barbary Philadelphia, PA !
Feb 18 Maxwell’s Hoboken, New Jersey !
Feb 19 Europa Brooklyn, New York !
Feb 20 Middle East Boston, Massachusetts !
# w/ The Black Keys
@ w/ The Strapping Fieldhands and Home Blitz
! w/ Fucked Up
