elf power, two sheds @ bottom of the hill: photos, review
Friday was my second night in a row at the Bottom of the Hill. This time I was there to see Two Sheds (myspace) and I stayed to see Elf Power (myspace), an E6 band that I used to be a big fan of but hadn’t seen in 6.5 years.
Two Sheds has impressed me a lot lately both with their album and their split 7″ with Dame Satan . They were really great when I saw them at SxSW and I was hoping for a repeat. Last time I didn’t know what to expect and this time the expectations were a lot higher, but they still put on a great set. They even played my favorite song of theirs, “It’s Hard”, which they didn’t play in Austin, even after a request [1].
b&w because the lighting was so green for the Elf Power set.
Elf Power was the headliner of the night and I was surprised that the place wasn’t packed for them. I guess they haven’t been a bigger name for a few years, but the Bottom of the Hill was only about 2/3 full for them.
There have been a few changes since I last saw them: Laura Carter wasn’t playing with the band this time and Bryan Poole aka the Late B.P. Helium is no longer the bass player. Their new bass player is really solid, quite a talented guy, but there did seem to be a bit of a gap where Laura once was.
Overall their set was good, not great. The band played well. I enjoyed the old songs I knew, but the new ones lacked that familiarity.
[1] Incidentally, I highly recommend against requesting “It’s Hard” because–as it turns out–that’s an awkward thing to yell in a crowded space that might be filled with people who don’t know the band’s songs. Just trying to save you some embarrassment here.
[...] Hard”. I just couldn’t get over it. I made sure to see them at SxSW (and then again in SF and SD). They write really great songs and the simple and effecting instrumentation supports [...]
[...] played a great set, as they did the other times I’ve seen them. The set had a handful each from their EP and Perfect Ammunition, their album. [...]