Review: Cage the Elephant impressive in Hawaii debut
Cage the Elephant's Matthew Shultz performs at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower on Wednesday, Feb. 8. (Photo by Aaron Yoshino, Special to the Star-Advertiser)
REVIEW BY GARY CHUN / gchun@staradvertiser.com
One song into the band’s set, Cage the Elephant frontman Matt Shultz had seen enough.
He needed more energy from the Wednesday night crowd at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, so he invited as many as could bum rush the front VIP access section.
“I want this empty space filled with happy hearts, love and joyous times,” he demanded. And they came, spilling over the barrier.
It was a memorable moment, one of many, at a concert that not only showcased Cage from Bowling Green, Kentucky, but two notable indie Los Angeles bands, Best Coast and Mariachi El Bronx. Originally billed by promoter BAMP Project as “Audio Invasion Hawaii” when Foster the People was still the headliner (the band opted out to prepare for its Grammy Awards performance on Sunday, Jan. 12), the change in venue from Blaisdell Arena to the more intimate Waterfront at Aloha Tower arguably made this a better show. The approximately 400 people in attendance on a chilly Hawaii winter evening certainly enjoyed what could go down as one of the better rock concerts of 2012.
Matt Caughthran and Mariachi El Bronx opened the night at Aloha Tower. (Photo by Aaron Yoshino, Special to the Star-Advertiser)
Cage the Elephant definitely amped up the crowd, proving that the band is one of the best live-performance groups around, thanks in most part to Shultz’s controlled frenzy. His adenoidal voice — ranging from song-speak to full-tilt screaming — was pushed out of a body constantly on the move, dancing across the stage, pausing occasionally to snap his head to the band’s monster downbeat. Very entertaining stuff.
Rolling Stone magazine had the band pegged in describing the Cage sound as “sugar punk riffs à la the Pixies and Nirvana” and “bright, bracing Sixties garage-rock melodies.” The band ably mixes it up — and does it hard and with conviction — without it sounding derivative. It can go full-attitude with the f-you of “In One Ear,” a Nirvana rave in “Around My Head,” or with a mad-eye gleam of “Back Against the Wall.”
And Cage loves the noise. Even during the occasional quiet moment, like in “Flow,” the band liked using guitar noises to occupy the space between songs. The guys love to freak out when they can.
Even though the band is quite popular now, I would think that a solid followup to their “Thank You Happy Birthday” album could make them a huge act.
Being “huge” will probably won’t be a consideration for Best Coast and Mariachi El Bronx, but that doesn’t make them lesser bands.
Bethany Cosentino and her musical partner Bobb Bruno are set to make a notable step in their SoCal ’60s influenced sound, expanding on the original lo-fi concept. The band’s onstage sound is augmented with another bassist/guitarist, and you could really hear the added musical punch in the hit songs that ended the band’s set, “When I’m With You” and “Boyfriend.”
We got a taste of Best Coast’s new direction with a new song from its upcoming album, produced by notable L.A. musician Jon Brion. “In Your Sleep” has a little more texture, a nice song touched up with a bit of slide guitar. And even though she acknowledges Bruno as an indispensable part of her sound, it was Cosentino front-and-center, and she didn’t disappoint. She’s confident, and it showed in her voice and onstage demeanor.
Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino performs on stage at the Waterfront. (Photo by Aaron Yoshino, Special to the Star-Advertiser)
The same could be said of Matt Caughthran of Mariachi El Bronx. With the band looking handsome, garbed in traditional black charro outfits, the folk music of Mexico (albeit beefed up) was presented, wrapping up Caughthran’s lyrical stories of love and hard-scrabble lives.
Originally a side project of Caughthran’s hardcore punk band the Bronx, Mariachi has taken on a life of its own. And the band sounded great, augmented by a two-man trumpet section, with special kudos to fellow Bronx mates Joby J. Ford and Jorma Vik on guitar/accordion and drums respectively, violinist Ray Suen (whose sound suffered a bit due to a loud mix) and Vincent Hidalgo, son of Los Lobos’ David, holding the bass down on the big, bad-ass guitarrón.
Caughthran was obviously enjoying being in Hawaii for the first time, and the crowd equally enjoyed its infectious opening set. Mariachi El Bronx kicked things off with its latest hit “48 Roses,” and moved through its set with other fine songs such as “Poverty’s King” and “Slave Labor.”
Things got more pogo-punk with the rousing “Norteño Lights” and the rolling “Revolution Girls.”
All in all, a great evening. You should’ve been there.
———
Gary Chun is a features reporter at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach him via e-mail at gchun@staradvertiser.com or follow him on Twitter.
Related Post:
