When we asked the guy at the hotel how to get to Jack Rabbits, he made a point of telling us it was a hole in the wall, and he seemed pretty serious about it. He warned us that it was a tiny place with bottled beer and wine only, but that got me even more excited about the show. I’ll take a show in a rat hole over an arena any day of the week.
After almost walking by the windowless bar, I gave my name to the guy at the podium out front who crossed me off the will call list and ushered us in. As soon as we stepped through the door my boyfriend and I exchanged glances and a chuckle at just how right the guy at the hotel had been. There was a small side room with the bar, a pool table and walls plastered with stickers and then there was the “main” area with a small stage and a floor that looked like it could hold a max 200 people. This was going to be a great venue for The Big Pink’s brand of exploding feedback rock. However, we’d gotten there super early and there were two openers yet to go and we had a bottle of vodka two blocks away at the hotel. So, we killed some time while killing drinks then headed back. We’d missed one opener and caught the last half of Juicy Pony’s set. As we worked our way towards the stage Chris noticed that the drummer was singing even though he didn’t have a microphone. The next thing I know, I’m singing along. To a song by a band I’ve never heard before. They’re pretty damned catchy. After their set they mentioned they’re putting an album together and I’m definitely going to be checking it out.
Almost as soon as the opener left it, the stage that was already surrounded by a halo of speakers was quickly covered with more pedals than the Tour de France and it was finally time to see the band we’d driven four hours on Easter to see. With the fog machines pumping out fog as thick as Brigadoon, The Big Pink took to the stage to Cypress Hill’s “Wanna Get High” and went right into “Too Young to Love”. The Big Pink is a two man band, comprised of Robbie Furze on lead vocals and guitar and Milo Cordell on programming, keyboards, synth and vocals. Robbie held court stage front and center, flinging sweat from his mohawk, bare arms (save for a few tattoos) gleaming. Meanwhile, the be-hoodied Milo remained in one place with his head down, tending to his electronics. Supporting them on tour they also had hair tossing, headbanging bassist Leopold Ross and drummer Akiko Matsuura, who paused behind her drums a few songs in to remove her shorts, shoes and socks, finishing the evening in black tights and an oversized Public Enemy t-shirt.
The whole thing was amazingness, but there were definitely a couple highlights. The first one happened during “Crystal Visions”, when Robbie and Leopold went into an extended guitar duel that ended with Robbie stomping on the aforementioned pedals, releasing a massive reverb mushroom cloud that just about leveled the place. The other happened near the end of the night when they played a ridiculously sexy and completely perfect cover of Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine”. It was slowed down even more than the original and stretched almost beyond recognition, with the instruments quieted down and Robbie’s plaintive vocals completely selling that he really was, “yearning, yearning from wanting you”. I wished I couldn’t see the setlist so I wouldn’t know the end was nigh, but after 10 glorious songs the band left the stage to screams from a small but grateful crowd. After a quick step outside, they all came back in and gave autographs and posed for pictures, with Milo heading over to the merch booth to help hawk their merch. After I told him how worthwhile they’d made our drive he threw a pair of sunglasses in with my t-shirt.
Their tour is still going, with most of their stops being supported by A Place to Bury Strangers, so go see these gracious, hard working kids. Hopefully you can catch them in a hole in the wall, too.
See the rest of the pictures here.
The Big Pink- Dominos
The Big Pink- Sweet Dreams (Beyonce Cover)
SoAngelicate
I’m pretty sure I pissed off the Big Pink when I messaged them over myspace and told them they couldn’t fucking name themselves the Big Pink, it’s disrespectful. Obviously, they didn’t listen.