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WAVVES, Woods, Blank Dogs (and Nodzzz) @ Less Artists More Condos, NYC - pics

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

WAVVES

Nathan Williams‘s starter Flock of Seagulls haircut was silly with sweat, slapping at his face and neck as he jerked around on the tiny stage at Less Artists More Condos in the West Village on Saturday night. But after nearly every song he stopped for a look in the virtual mirror. Not at the hair, but at less likely concerns. Was his guitar tuned properly? (It was not.) Could he hit the notes the next song required? (Define hit. And notes.) Musing about whether he could pull off a particular number, he demurred — “No. I can’t. Sorry.” — and then dove in anyway.

Slickness isn’t really a concern for Mr. Williams, a one-man band from San Diego who records as Wavves, but crispness is. His terrific second album, “Wavvves” (Fat Possum), teems with scrappy, energetic, summery chunks of noisy pop: smart-aleckyness via Weezer, cooing via the Beach Boys, all masked by digital effects and a thick garage-rock haze. (The album is to be released this week on iTunes and next month on CD.) [NYTIMES]

The Wavvves album really is terrific. Wavves (the artist whose album has one more “v” than his name) also played a show with almost the exact same lineup (Woods/Nodzzz/Blank Dogs) one day earlier at Market Hotel and one day later (yesterday) at Underground Lounge (where Blank Dogs reportedly cancelled).

Wavves will reportedly be back in NYC at the end of March.

Nodzzz went on first at Less Artists More Condos. Toby could’t get through the door in time, but he did get lots of pics of the rest of the show. More of them below…

WAVVES

Woods…

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Woods

Blank Dogs…

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

WAVVES…

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES

WAVVES