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Braids played Knitting Factory w/ Wild Nothing & Depreciation Guild (pics & setlists), add 2 more shows (a loft tonight)

photos by Andrew St. Clair, words by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Braids – Lemonade (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wild Nothing – Chinatown (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Depreciation Guild – Crucify You (MP3)

Braids
Knitting Factory

Montreal quartet Braids played the Knitting Factory last night (5/26), opening for The Depreciation Guild and Wild Nothing. It was the first of what are now four NYC shows this week. Initially it was just last night’s show and one Thursday (5/27) at Mercury Lounge with fellow Montrealers The Luyas (early show, no advance tickets). But they have added a loft show tonight (5/26) in Bushwick (538 Johnson Street #202, 8:30PM) and they will also be playing Rooftop Films on Friday (5/27).

For a band as young as Braids (age of the band and age of the members) I thought they really had it together last night, playing an almost seamless set where long songs flowed into the next. Mixing electronics, loops, shoegazy guitars, proggy rhythms, Braids are familiar and accessible but seem to have already figured out their own sonic niche. Some songs were more dreamlike, others had a more melodic grounding. (I preferred the latter). That said, tomorrow’s show with The Luyas is a pretty perfect pairing.

Wild Nothing
Knitting Factory

Wild Nothing have gotten better each time I’ve seen them and last night they seemed ready for serious touring. The band’s debut, Gemini, came out yesterday and is easily the most accessible record Captured Tracks has released to date, full of insanely catchy pop, owing much to mid-’80s UK indie. While you could cite obscurities like The Field Mice and Pale Saints, to say Wild Nothing also kind of sound like The Cure would not be incorrect. The crowd around the front of the stage was mostly female and mostly dancing.

Another influence made itself apparent last night when the band did a spot-on cover of Fleetwood Mac‘s “Dreams.” Singer Jack Tatum did a credible Stevie Nicks (he’s got a great falsetto) and their version was both reverent and yet still sounded like Wild Nothing. They aren’t the most exciting live band, but they’ve only been playing together as a band for a few months (the record is just Tatum), so that should come. But they sounded great.

Wild Nothing have a few shows in June opening for Neon Indian, including June 17 at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The Depreciation Guild
Knitting Factory

Headliners The Depreciation Guild were also celebrating the release of an album — their second, Spirit Youth, which is out on Kanine. Where their first, self-released album played up the 8-bit electronics element, the new album and last night’s show was all about the guitars. Frontman Kurt Feldman is clearly a fan of ’90s shoegaze and Deprecation Guild channels that sound flawlessly. (They also look the part too.) It’s a real wall of sound they’ve got going, played at proper tinnitus volume. Feldman and guitarist Christoph Hochheim both also play in Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and that band’s pop sensibilities have probably influenced their songwriting. Spirit Youth has strong melodies to go along with their perfected ethereal sound.

More pictures from the KF show, two setlists and more dates, below…

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Braids…

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Wild Nothing…

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The Depreciation Guild…

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Wild Nothing setlist
Gemini
Asleep
Live In Dreams
Witching Hour
Confirmation
Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)
Rabbit Feet
Take Me In
Summer Holiday


Depreciation Guild setlist
My Chariot
Crucify You
Blue Lily
November
Trace
A Key Turns
Spirit Youth
Through The Snow
White Moth
Dream About Me


Braids – 2010 Tour Dates
Wednesday, May 26th 2010:: 538 Johnson St #202 – Potluck show
Thursday, May 27th, 2010 :: New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge w/ The Luyas
Friday, May 28th, 2010:: New York, NY Rooftop Films
Saturday, May 29, 2010 :: Toronto, ON @ The Piston (PItter Patter)
Sunday, May 30, 2010 :: London, ON @ Forest City Gallery
Monday, May 31, 2010 :: Guelph, ON @ Ed Video w/ Dioscuri
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 :: Sudbury, ON @ Millard’s Garage
Thursday, June 3, 2010 :: Winnipeg, MB @ Freud’s Bathhouse w/ Cannon Bros
Friday, June 4, 2010 :: Regina, SK @ O’Hanlons Pub
Saturday, June 5, 2010 :: Edmonton, AB @ Castle Awesome w/ Gobble Gobble, JAZZ
Sunday, June 6, 2010 :: Calgary, AB @ Marquee Room w/ Gobble Gobble
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 :: Medicine Hat, AB @ TBA w/ Gobble Gobble
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 :: Lethbridge, AB @ TBA w/ Gobble Gobble
Thursday, June 10, 2010 :: Canmore, AB @ Canmore Hotel w/Gobble Gobble
Friday, June 11, 2010 :: Vancouver, BC @ Warehouse w/ Gobble Gobble, Makeout Videotape
Saturday, June 12, 2010 :: Victoria, BC @ The Fifty Fifty w/ Gobble Gobble, Balacade
Sunday, June 13, 2010 :: Victoria, BC @ Fan Club Music House Driveway w/Gobble Gobble
Monday, June 14, 2010 :: Kelowna, BC @ Blue Gator w/Gobble Gobble
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 :: Nelson, BC @ TBA w/Gobble Gobble
Friday, June 18, 2010 :: High Prairie, AB @ North Country Fair w/Gobble Gobble
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 – Friday, July 2, 2010 :: Calgary, AB @ Sled Island

Wild Nothing – 2010 Tour Dates
06/09 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl !
06/11 – Cincinatti, OH – Fountain Square !
06/12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox !
06/13 – Baltimore, MD – Sonar !
06/17 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg !
06/20 – Washington, DC – DC9 &
06/21 – Philadelphia, PA – M Room &
06/22 – Providence, RI – Jerky’s Live Music Hall &
06/23 – Milford, CT – Daniel Street &
! = w/ Neon Indian