Gig: Kids on TV

Kids on TV / Diamond Rings

The Gladstone Hotel (Melody Bar). Thursday, September 24, 2009.

Celebrity encounter! Rolled into the Gladstone just before the show's starting time, looking around for A. Found him near the back of the room, flipping through a magazine, and we headed back up towards the front, figuring to nab something near the stage before the place filled in too much. The table up front that we decided to crash was being held down by none other than Lauren Schreiber, mastermind of the No Shame independent music series, now a hundred shows deep and beyond. She kindly offered us a spot and we chatted a bit about the awesomeness of Kids on TV as the early part of the show began, a retrospective of KoTV's short films and music videos. Though I'd seen them all at various times in the past, it was interesting to see them all back-to-back, plotting a trajectory from KoTV's more overtly experimental/explicit early works to the more subtle current stuff that still manages to convey the same themes. We were joined by some familiar faces, including Ms. Singing Lamb and young D., who remains unconvincable about KoTV's merits. In a pleasant turn, K., in need of some cheap entertainment, also dropped by.

In fact, there was a rather healthy crowd out, and the room was pleasantly filled as Diamond Rings took the stage. In a similar get-up to his appearance at Owen Pallet's birthday bash¹ John O'Regan filled his half-hour set with seven songs of new-romantic yearning; slow jamz and upbeat ones, split between guit and keyb. He managed to shill for his vinyl single in a most self-depreciating manner: "You should probably be buying things from Kids on TV tonight. If, after buying everything from Kids on TV, and having five beers, you still have seven dollars, then buy my record." As he noted, most in the crowd were familiar with "All Yr Songs", given the cheer it got, but several of the other tunes on offer were at least as good as that one, showing this is no one trick pony. An amusing sort of environment to have a show in, with the stage abutting the bay window overlooking Queen Street, giving the audience a view of some of reactions from passers-by outside, including one guy, who looked like he should have been wearing a soiled mackintosh, who strolled by to examine John O. several times. Good fun.²

Listen to a track from this set here.

After the fabulous roll they've been on all summer, it was sweet to see Kids on TV cap it off with a crowded show in front of an enthusiastic crowd. And for me, seeing them at the Gladstone was a nice bit of things going full circle, as it was here that I first encountered them.³ During Blocks Recording Club's monthly night at the Gladstone, the band were celebrating their new Shape Shifting Mutants digital EP, playing a full, hour-long set, mixing together old and new material. Opening with "Breakdance Hunx", we got to hear some Mixing Business With Pleasure tracks like "Jeremy, Mon Ami" and "Hanky Code" that haven't gotten an airing for a while. It was more pleasing, though to hear how well the newer material holds up beside the classics, making the anticipation for the next release even greater. In fact, the band announced from the stage that the next album, Pantheon, should be out March '10, so some of the new songs not on the EP (like "Dazzler" and "Liberace's Lover") will find a proper home. The band even debuted a new song, "City of Night", named after the John Rechy novel. So there's a lot to look forward to from the band.

Sadly, though, this fabulous show might have to tide us over for a spell, as after this the band is "going into hibernation for a few months," according to John Caffery. Still, glad they went out on a high like this — as A. commented on the way out, their best show of the summer.⁴

Listen to a track from this set here.

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¹ Though lacking the deluxe "Diamond Rings" t-shirt he was wearing last time out, John O. was wearing a fetchingly teal Florida Marlins jacket.

² And the good times continue: Diamond Rings has another show coming up and the newly-opened Garrison, October 15th, with his split-single flipside mates P.S. I Love You plus Katie Stelmanis.

³ It was, in fact, way back at the end of '05, when they played at the This is Not a Reading Series launch party for Maggie MacDonald's Kill the Robot. Having never heard of them, I remember being blown away, and after the show J. and I were tossing the verses of "Breakdance Hunx" back and forth while waiting for the Queen car in the December night's chill.

⁴ I didn't pull out my camera for this one, but Ivy L. has some good shots at her Blog T.O. review.