Detroit Cobras!
So we went to check out the Detroit Cobras last night at Southpaw. Here’s the short review. They are way more awesome live than they are recorded - and I really like their records. It’s been the best show I’ve seen in a long time (granted I haven’t been going to many shows, but the sentiment is there).
There were two opening bands and it was an evening of bands fronted by the ladies. The first band on was the Shalitas. These guys take their retro seriously - the three lead vocals all wearing matching black jackets and doing a somewhat choreographed singing dancing bit. But they had a nice clean sound and were really good. They had everyone there paying attention, which is quite a feat for an opening band, I don’t recall more than a couple people sitting.
Then came Baby Shakes. This group was obviously more polished than the Shalita’s and were really rockin’ rollin’. But I enjoyed the two bands about the same. I think it’s probably because I prefer the cleaner sound that the Shalita’s had over the more chordy sound that Baby Shakes had. But they were excellent and their set was way to short - I was bummed to see them go.
Then came the Cobras. Man. It started out at about what I was expecting, good, but I wasn’t blown away. A few songs in they hit their stride with Cha Cha Twist and never looked back. It was totally ridiculous. Rachel Nagy, their front woman, has an unbelievable voice and a commanding stage presence. I’m not really sure what it was - but there’s something about her on stage that is really impressive. Their music is much better live than recorded, I guess that’s the nature of rock’n'roll, but there were things that really became clear live that were not so clear recorded. The soulfulness of several of the more churchy songs really shines through.
If there were any downsides, I’d say the biggest one was the crowd. I don’t know what it is but I really hate Brooklyn crowds. I’m not sure if it’s brooklyn per se or hipsters, but it seems that they are unable to move their bodies the slightest bit, even in the face of an incredible live show. They stand stock still, not even a toe tapping or slight head nodding. They just stand there, they may asd well be watching CNN at home for all you could tell. There was no energy at the show - although they would hoot and holler a bit at the end of songs, at least - it was the only way you’d know they were listening at all. Ugh, it’s terribly annoying.
It was a great show where I genuinely enjoyed all three bands. If you get the chance, I recommend seeing any of these bands live, but the Cobras are definitely worth checking out. There’s a band that really comes into it’s own live.
