Beach Slang, Tim Kasher and Field Mouse played Knitting Factory (pics, review)

December 18, 2015

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Andrew Sacher

Beach Slang / Tim Kasher / Field Mouse @ Knitting Factory – 12/17/15

“Hey we’re Beach Slang and we’re here to punch you right in the heart, man,” said James Alex before launching into the first song of their sold-out BV-presented Knitting Factory Brooklyn show last night (12/17). They’ve seemingly been on tour all year, but last night was their first NYC show since the release of their debut album The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us (on Polyvinyl), and the first time they headlined a sold-out show here too. And punch us right in the heart they did.

Beach Slang were never not a tight live band, but they seemed especially on last night. They were loud, it felt like JP was pounding the drums harder than ever, and the whole band was just on. The new songs haven’t even been out for two months, but they already feel like Beach Slang classics. The crowd was screaming and fist-raising to all of them as much as they were to “Filthy Luck” and “Kids,” songs they’ve played in NYC at least eight or nine times since forming last year. We got most of the songs they’ve written, and they threw in quite the handful of covers this time too. They played Senseless Things’ “Too Much Kissing,” which they recorded for their mixtape/covers EP, and did Jawbreaker’s “Boxcar” and The Replacements’ “Bastards of Young” and “Can’t Hardly Wait” (two bands United Nations/Noisey’s Jonah Bayer mentioned in his roast of Beach Slang that introduced their set). They also joked around between songs, half-covering bits of George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone,” The Doors’ “The End,” Danzig’s “Mother” and a handful of Misfits songs. It was a super fun show.

Co-headlining was Cursive / The Good Life frontman Tim Kasher, who played solo with just an electric guitar (but was joined by Ed and JP from Beach Slang for his last song). He played deep cuts from both of his bands, solo material, and debuted some new stuff too. He told the crowd that he spent the last year making a movie and plans to release it in late 2016. He scored the movie and did the soundtrack himself, and plans to support it by performing the songs live alongside a screening. He gave us a taste of two of those tracks last night. It sounds like cool stuff.

Field Mouse opened and they were good as always, maybe even a little better than the last time I saw them. Their sets are always more rocking than their albums would lead you to believe, and last night’s definitely was, ending with a shoegazy wall of sound.

More pictures of all three bands below…

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Field Mouse