Review: Cave Singers @ Neumos (12-11-08)

photo cred: Kyle Johnson

Last night, The Cave Singers performed to a very happy Thursday night crowd at Neumos. While I understand how cool it must be for the former Murder City Devils/Pretty Girls Make Graves members to play the same show, pairing Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death as an opener for The Singers was a bad idea. Noise-rock doesn't get me in the mood for folk-rock. Anyway, once The Cave Singers came on, it was apparent that they were going to treat Seattle to some new tunes. Having just returned from Vancouver where the band laid down tracks for a new album, Neumos may have been the first venue to witness these live performances. Throughout the course of the night, I'll bet we heard nearly 5-7 new songs, including an awesome boot-stomping screamer (same energy as "Dancing On Our Graves").

Highlights of the night included a duet performance of "Belmar" with ex-PGMG singer Andrea Zollo, various references to Ghostbusters II, a wild story involving a $40 fine on a lost porno DVD, and a beautiful encore-closer "After the First Baptism". Throughout the show, a very friendly Quirk (with one righteous beard) entertained the crowd with the help of some Jameson. Not the longest set, but all in all, a great performance from an even greater band. No word yet on when the new album will be released. Expect it to rival Invitation Songs in sound, especially after hearing the new material showcased last night.

Setlist: (in no particular order)
5-7 New Songs
Seeds of the Night
Helen
Belmar (duet with Andrea Zollo)
Called
New Monuments
Oh Chistine
Dancing On Our Graves (last song of first set)
After The First Baptism (last song of the night)