Live Concert Review: Titus Andronicus and Los Campesinos!

(Note to everyone. There are two things wrong with this post that I WILL correct as soon as I can. The first one is the lack of pictures for the show which is due to me (stupidly) not bringing my camera. While this might not count as an actual "problem" per say, due to how visual these two band’s shows are I feel they are essential for a proper review of the shows. The second one is the set list’s which I know are wrong. I will fix them as soon as I can (if you know them please email me.)

On January 31st the "Red Bull Injected Right Into Your Veins Tour" a.k.a. Titus Andronicus and Los Campesinos! Tour came to The Parish in Austin, Texas. In the 3 hour span of the two shows, mass organized chaos ensued. Dance-mosh pits, stage diving, crowd surfing both by audience and band members , and unplugged microphones all occurred in a beer and pure joy infused concert all to the delight of 350 super fans.

Los Campesinos! could have not picked out a better opening band. Titus Andronicus are 5 New Jersey boys just signed to the XL label who released their debut "The Airing of Grievances". Obviously, any band that makes references to both Shakespeare and Seinfeld holds a lot of potential and Titus deliver. Beer powered lo-fi energy rock songs that never let up for one second playing their entire album plus a song from home town hero, Bruce Springsteen. If there was one complaint, it would lead singer Patrick Stickles vocal’s which, already on the album, whether due to the lo-finess of their songs are just the Jersey accents, are already hard to understand, reached an almost shoegazing level of distortion added to the lo-fi quality of their equipments. However, live, this was more of a plus then a problem.

After the a 20 minute gap between, Los Campesinos! came onstage. For does of you who don’t know (and why not?) Los Campesinos! play the greatest twee-punk pop ever with some of the wittiest and heartrenching lyrics added on top. While all these elements sound and should add up to the Welsh equivalent of an emo band like My Chemical Romance or The Used, Gareth Campeinos’ (they all share the same fake last name) cryptic and humor filled lyrics, plus some of the best melody add up to simply great music. Plus have in Pavement and Broken Social Scene as your key influences doesn’t hurt either. But the question always in the air was whether or not to they could match the energy they created on their albums. The answer, was a 100 % yes.

Opening with "Ways To Make It Through The Walls" the crowd, which had unfortunately stayed rather still during Titus’ set instantly and literary jumped into action. Creating the indie rock equivalent to a mosh pit, the energy never let up for on second. Pogoing never fit music so right as know when the band started singing "The International Tweexcore Underground"; even the people not dancing didn’t care how many times there were being bumped into. The connection was between the band and audience was strong the whole night. When the band launched into fan favorite "You!Me!Dancing!" a crazy/stupid/super fan jumped on the club subwoofer and danced along with the song twice! (That would be your’s truly by the way.) The entire concert was littered with moments like this. DVDs given to the band with boners drawn on each (it was a reference to the music), singing happy birthday to keyboardist Aleks, Garath jumping into the crowd then jumping on the subwoofer with Aleks to sing finale "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks", and the whole band jumping into and crowd surfing. The only thing missing was a huge pile of confetti pouring from the roof.

Titus Andronicus’ Set ( They played all these songs, I just have the order wrong.)
1.Fear and Loathing In Mahway, NJ
2.My Time Outside the Womb
3.Joset of Nazareth’s Blues
4.Arms Against Atrophy
5.Upon Viewing Brueghel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus
6.Bad Lands
7.No Future Part Two: The Days After No Future
8.No Future
9.Titus Andronicus
10.Albert Camus

Los Campesinos Set List(Once again, the songs are correct, but the set list is correct. However songs 1-2 and 11-14 I know are in the right order)

1.Ways To Make It Through The Ways
2.The International Tweexcore Underground
3.Miserabilia
4.Death to Los Campesinos!
5.My Year In Lists
6.Drop It Doe Eyes
7.Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown # 1
8.Knee Deep At ATP
9.All Your Keyfabe Friends
10.This Is How You Spell "HAHAHA, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics"
11.Box Elder(Pavement Cover)/You!Me!Dancing!
12.We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
13.Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks
Encore
14.Broken Hearts Beats Sound Like Break Beats

Titus Andronicus Websites:
www.myspace.com/titusandronicus

Los Campesinos! Websites:
http://www.loscampesinos.com/
www.myspace.com/loscampesinos