Never go to a show when it's 90 degrees (at 10 p.m. -- 10 p.m.!) unless you're watching a band that evokes thoughts of steamy beaches and glistening bodies. At least then you can rationalize the smell emitting from fans soaked in beer and their buddies' sweat. The RX Bandits played to a pretty big crowd Saturday at the Bottleneck. Adult, crusty ol' dudes, 20-somethings, teens, and one little girl (who rocked the fuck out, I should add), stood shoulder-to-shoulder waiting for the Bandits' last live set in Lawrence for the foreseeable future. This was the band's farewell tour, and the Bandits were going out with a rebel yell. "We're going on hiatus, not breaking up," said singer and guitarist Matthew Embree.
From the Bandits' first song to the last tribute (there were two: 1. Embree asked for 30 seconds of silence in honor of the lives lost in Norway; 2. Bandits played an Amy Winehouse cover during the band's encore), the crowd was hooked. Sure, people walked from the front of the stage to the back of the bar to stand near the Bottleneck's gigantic fan, but the Bandits' fans always walked back to the front of the stage -- hanging on every lyric that shot out of Embree's mouth.
During the band's first four songs, my concertgoing amigos who weren't acquainted with any of the Bandits' work were pleasantly pleased with the sound coming from the bar's speakers. Comparisons to the Used, Sublime, Mars Volta and Pink Floyd came to mind. But the Bandits didn't mirror any one of those bands completely -- they subtly tipped their hats to progressive punk-rock/ska genre, and made amazing sounds all their own. Steve Choi (vocals, guitar) jumped from guitar duty to the keyboard effortlessly, while Chris Tsagakis (drums) and Joe Tory (vocals, bass) provided a driving crisp bass line through the show.
A few songs before the band made its mandated, pre-encore exit, Embree asked a drunken group of male fans to stop throwing elbows up front.
"Those girls are, like, 5' 2". It's not cool," Embree said.
"I'll pay you to leave, even," he added.
The crowd clapped in appreciation and full-hearted agreement. The band members leaned in toward Embree to make sure all was OK and taken care of, and once a positive confirmation was made, the band played on -- uninterrupted -- until 12:30 a.m.
Critic's bias: It was hot as hell. I drank beer to cool down, and it didn't work. It did leave me a bit buzzed.
Overheard in the crowd: "Oh, my God. This sounds just like At the Drive-In. Damn. I miss them."
From the critic's notebook: "It's like all that stuff I love in high school but hate now, but it doesn't make me want to vomit." <-- high praise.
Set List
Instrumental opener (throbbing electronic, rumbling drums, gee-tar.)
Overcome (the Recapitulation)
Consequential Apathy
Infection
Overcome (the Recapitulation) -- or -- I Will Live
Dinna-Dawg -- or -- Sell You Beautiful
Decrescendo
To Our Unborn Daughters
In Her Drawer
Apparition
S.A.M.
One Million Miles an Hour, Fast Asleep
Bring Our Children Home or Everything is Nothing
Newsstand Rock
Encore
Metal Man
Winehouse tribute
Only for the Night
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