1414

How to Dress Well played Church of the Messiah w/ Autre Ne Veut, covered Ariel Pink (just like PS22) - pics, review, videos

review by Rachel Kowal, photos by Erez Avissar

How to Dress Well at a church
How To Dress Well

“I’m sure you’re all here to see How to Dress Well,” joked the one-man opening act Autre Ne Veut as he walked on stage Friday night (maybe you also caught him Saturday at Pianos). But even if his frank assessment held a bit of truth, the mysteriously anonymous Brooklyn artist certainly caught the attention of the audience by his first move: stripping down to just a black tank top and underwear. (ok, so he was actually just changing his pants, but really – who does that on stage?)

Autre Ne Veut’s set-up was pretty bare bones – just a guy singing karaoke style over 80s-fab beats and melodies and stumble-dancing around a smokey stage. Judging from the bemused expressions in the room, I know I wasn’t the only one perplexed and bemused by the over-the-top performance. He may not have played any instruments, but the anonymous Brooklynite was constantly on the move – crouching down on stage, dangling the mic over his head, jerking back and forth, and swiveling hips in time to the music. “I feel a little like I’m watching a Paula Abdul video,” whispered my friend Sarah. So true.

Near the end of his set, a little fan club of dancing girls formed at the foot of the stage. A couple of people even picked up the votive candles from the stage and began to swing them over their heads as Autre Ne Veut repeatedly sang the line, “You’ll be dreaming about me.” Even after he had concluded his set (with the requested song “Wake Up”), he stuck around on stage to dance when the house music (Prince’s “Kiss”) came on. How perfect.

In between sets, people milled around the small room of the church, sharing beers and exchanging stories as more people filtered in from the snowy Greenpoint streets
.
“I usually try to only play shows at Best Buy and Brooklyn Bowl, but a church will do” said How to Dress Well’s Tom Krell near the beginning of his set. And he was right – a church did seem to be an apt setting given his soulful falsetto (Antony Hegarty meets Usher) and the air of reverence emitting from the crowd.

Krell may have had “a little bit of a cold,” but it didn’t seem to hinder his performance. From his perch on the dimly lit stage, he easily captivated the sold-out crowd with his distinct combination of lo-fi bedroom pieces and R&B slow jams. Much of Krell’s live show may be based on samples, but the result is no less arresting.

After playing nearly the entirety of his debut album, Love Remains, Krell returned to the candlelit stage for just one more song. “Don’t tell anyone about this. I could get sued,” he hastily confessed. To the delight of the crowd, he concluded his set with an Ariel Pink cover – “Fright Night (Nevermore)” (or by his dubbing, “Friday Night”).

Speaking of Ariel Pink covers, if you were wondering (like I was at first), why I didn’t include the now-everywhere-on-the-internet Ariel Pink cover by Staten Island’s PS22 in the post I did about PS22 on Friday, well it’s because the very-bloggable video wasn’t actually posted to PS22’s YouTube until later that day. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can now watch it below.

Also below are more pictures and videos of both acts at the church (including a shot of HTDW’s setlist), video from a show How to Dress Well played in Toronto since then, and more tour dates…

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

How To Dress Well

PS22 Chorus “ROUND AND ROUND” by Ariel Pink

Autre Ne Veut – Church of the Messiah Brooklyn 1.28.11

Autre Ne Veut – Church of the Messiah Brooklyn 1.28.11

how to dress well 1 28 11 the church brooklyn

How to Dress Well – Church of the Messiah Brooklyn 1.28.11

How To Dress Well – You Won’t Need Me Where I’m Goin’ Live @ The Drake Hotel, Toronto

How To Dress Well – My Body Live @ The Drake Hotel, Toronto

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Fright Night (Nevermore)

How To Dress Well – Love Remains

How to Dress Well – Tour Dates
Fri 02/25/11 Echo Los Angeles CA Shlohmo, Club Underground
Sat 02/26/11 Cafe Du Nord San Francisco CA
Sun 02/27/11 Holocene Portland OR Grouper, TBD
Sat 03/12/11 TBA Denton TX Vulgar Fashion, Survive
Thu 06/30/11 Roskilde Festival Gloria Stage Roskilde Denmark Roskilde Festival 2011