Bloc Party/Secret Machines/Mew @ McCarren Park Pool

The Onion had a funny headline the other week about Brooklyn's trendsetters going on strike. Well, all the trendsetters on Saturday night could be found in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for Hipster Expo 2006. I'm not a trendsetters, more like a trendfaker. Besides, I prefer to be a tastemaker and a freshmaker.

It was a gloriously fun night to be outside with your crew of friendly party peoples. At times, it was pleasant weather-wise, other times stuffy and sticky. I'll get into the venue at the end of the post, but I'll say first that it was pretty neat.

Anyway, I didn't realize until I got the show that Saturday's line-up featured the two best drummers in rock music today. You have Josh Garza with his tree trunk drum sticks from Secret Machines and a shirtless Matt Tong of Bloc Party.

My third time around with the band who I thought put out the best album of 2005. Since we last saw them, Bloc Party have pretty much become a brand name, no longer relegated to playing small or mid-size clubs. They sold out 5,000 tickets tonight, and that's something. I really wasn't expecting anything different, maybe a few new songs to road test for an album that we be out in December or January.

Setlist:

• Waiting for the 718
• Positive Tension
• Banquet
• Blue Light
• She's Hearing Voices
• Hunting for Witches
• This Modern Love
• Like Eating Glass
• Little Thoughts
• Helicopter
• Encore: So Here We Are
• Price Of Gas
• Compliments
• Pioneers

As much as I love their tried and true track off of Silent Alarm, their headlining set felt like a lot of "been there, done that." Let's rock like its 2005! With that said, I still had a great time with my friends, which made the show the best I've seen them. Plus, with the large outdoor setting and superior sound system, it's the best quality sound I've heard them. Matt's druming was clean and clear and I could actually hear Kele's thick British accent.

Since they are pretty much a known name to even the casual music listeners, Kele & Co. act like the superior rock stars they are -- encouraging the crowd to clap along and dropping out the vocals for the crowd to fill in the chorus. Being the music snob I am, I got a little bit miffed that Kele does some of the things that rock stars do when they become big time. He asked, "How are the people in the back doing? Let's hear some noise." That's so cheesy. There's also the traditional jump into the security/photo bit to get closer to the crowd antic. Yeah, whatever. The band also brought out some water toys to tease us with some relief.

In any event, they played a few new tracks that didn't impress me yet. It's so hard to judge new music when you're hearing it live, so time will tell. I did like the guitar parts in "Hunting for Witches."

The pictures from the night actually came out pretty well, considering I have a basic point and shoot. I was thinking I should get a photo pass, but I go to shows to hear/see music and hang with my crew. You know what I'm saying, G?

Fifth time around with Secret Machines, but first time seeing them on an outdoor stage -- sweeeeeeet. I was impressed with how their epic sound translated to the larger setting. All they need was a fancy backdrop and elaborate lighting and they are set for an arena tour. The new album is not as strong as their debut, but it has some solid tracks that they played tonight, which they played last year when toured with Kings of Leon. Ten Silver Drops is a little bit more romantic, with its dreamy, more down-to-earth arrangements. They didn't make "Nowhere Again, Part II," which is refreshing.

Short setlist, just a few highlights from their catalog:

• Nowhere Again
• The Road Leads Where It's Led
• Girl From the North Country
• Alone, Jealous and Stoned (A made the joke, "Alone, jealous and stoned is no way to go through life, son.")
• Lightning Blue Eyes (The video was filmed two blocks away at Warsaw)
• First Wave Intact

Mew opened the night and played a brief set, that was a good primer for people who don't know them. Check out my post from their show earlier in the week.

Since most of the visitors to this space are from outside of New York, I'll give you a little primer on the venue. It's basically an abandoned public pool that's now used for gigs. From my understanding, 5,000 tickets were sold, but the space could easily fit double that, so there's room to stretch out on the concrete floor. I think it's a neat venue. When I was looking back at the crowd, it's look like the Cave of Zion from The Matrix, where you see a sea of people lined up around edges. I think it's a good deal for my birthplace, a lot of people hang around the neighbor to drink or hit up a late night snack. I choose Sparky's All-American Food. The Mac & Cheese -- out-of-sight.

Comments

[andrew]

I believe you forgot Mr. Zak Starkey in the "Best Drummers In Rock Music Today" category. I saw him at Oxegen earlier this year, drumming for The Who. Absolutely massive performance, the best I've ever seen. Steve and Alan White are up there, too.

[Pedro]

I'm so jealous! I bet that show was awesome.