Seeing Rooftop Vigilantes at the Replay Lounge is like seeing a panda in its native China chomping on bamboo in a forest. It's a natural habitat: a terrarium of indie rock. (Hell, the title of the band's forthcoming sophomore LP, Real Pony Glue, is an anagram of the bar's name.)
Since the last time I saw them perform at the Replay, Rooftop Vigilantes have gone from a scrappy, punky power-pop band to a more refined scrappy, punky power-pop band that records with J. Robbins at his Baltimore studio. Since their recording session with the former Jawbox frontman, Rooftop Vigilantes seem tighter. They've become more focused without sacrificing any of the energetic theatrics that make them such a refreshing live act.
The most notable change in Rooftop Vigilantes' stage show is that you can finally hear Hannah Hyde's farfisa. For too long it's been washed out by the hyper-distorted guitars and Seth Wiese's hit-that-shit-as-hard-as-you-can, workmanlike drumming. Having the farfisa in the mix really fleshes out their live sound. Hyde also had a microphone in front of her and added the occasional vocal harmony, another welcome addition.
The set featured almost exclusively new songs with the exception of their two biggest jams, "Oscar Want 7" and "Copper Is Free" from their debut LP, Carrot Atlas.
Thankfully, the new songs sound
just as good as the old ones. New tracks like Oscar Guinn's "Cartoon
Crush" and Zach Campbell's "Fists of Gary" showcase the growth of the
band's principal songwriters. Guinn's pop hooks have gotten catchier,
and Campbell, who handles the lion's share of the songwriting, has
refined his craft in a way that would make Bob Pollard proud.
They also successfully attempted harmonies that consisted of more than
screaming in unison.
Rooftop Vigilantes closed with their
ramshackle cover of the Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait," which always
incites toasting and woo-ing from the members of the audience familiar
with the song and probably convinces those who aren't that it's a damn
fine original. The cover is almost like damage control: something the
Vigilantes can pull out at the last minute if they think a show has
gone badly, something that will still let everyone walk out of the venue with a
big fat smile. Let's face it, it's hard not to like a
band that closes with a Replacements cover (as long as it's not Courtney Love). Fortunately, damage control at this show was unnecessary.
Omaha's the Prairies and the Yuppies
opened and, given that both bands share the same drummer and co-lead
singer, they sounded pretty much the same. Both bands played noisy, lo-fi
punk, the main difference being the Prairies had more of a drone
jones, whereas the Yuppies had a varied sound that fluctuated between three-chord punk and proto-punk. However, all is forgiven since they all
looked like they were on winter break from whatever high school they
attend in Omaha. Their youth makes them pure, and their excitement to
be in bands that get to play out of town shined through in their
performances. Though it might seem odd to watch baby-faced dudes play
no-fi punk rock, somehow both bands made it work.
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i keep going to their shows hoping their guitars are gonna be tuned to each other and keep getting let down.
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