What could have been an otherwise tame Monday was suddenly transformed into a Monday That Rocked by my pal Jeff, a DJ at the legendary indie New York City radio station WFUV. An invitation to a party celebrating the launch of WFUV's new internet radio station The Alternate Side, featuring the Postelles and Pela? Don't mind if I do! Bonus points for said party being held at The Mercury Lounge, one of Manhattans' best music venues ever.
Since I am starting to border on being what NYU students would refer to as an Old, I was rather pleased to attend an early show featuring only two bands. New York's The Postelles opened the show with their wholly earnest take on indie boy doo-wop, imploring the crowd to nod along contentedly. How could anyone take issue with a group whose lead singer looks like Shia LaBeouf? I'm a glutton for punishment, so the ear-friendly, sweet stylings of The Postelles do not win my heart, but I wouldn't argue if they were to be nominated some sort of Adorableness Award. The Postelles just finished working on a single with Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr., entitled “123 Stop.”
Pela are everything I like about pop-punk. That is not to say, however, that they fall into this category, because they are a bit more complex. It's a simple fact that certain bands don't represent themselves as well on record, and until tonight, I'd only been moderately interested in Pela's music. After a 45-minute set, I was converted to official Pela fandom. Pop-punk enters my mind, because while Pela possess many live tics of the genre, such as incessant, infectious grinning by lead singer Billy McCarthy and picture-perfect synchronized group jumping, they also possess such raw substance that they could never be mistaken as such. While The Wrens certainly show no shortage of energy on stage, Pela remind me of a slightly younger version of that band, complete with soaring harmonies and deceptively simple guitar licks that creep up on you with their brilliance. McCarthy smiled at us and says, “I'm feeling crazy rock ‘n’ roll tonight... that feeling came to me as I was sleeping in the van on the Lower East Side. Shine on, you crazy diamonds,” gesturing to the band.
Pela mainly stuck to material from their 2007 full-length, Anytown Graffiti, leading off with its first three tracks, “Waiting on the Stairs,” “Lost to the Lonesome,” and “Drop Me Off,” but we were suddenly treated to the title track of their elusive upcoming album, Rise Ye Sunken Ships, along with another new track, “The Chapel Song.” My personal favorite was the mourning, sparkling “Strange Days,” also from the new album. The set felt cut short, as Pela had to finish in time for The Mercury Lounge to have its late show, but a rollicking cover of The Clash's “Guns of Brixton” dulled the shock with a satisfying snarl. My companion, Pela show veteran Juliet, informed me that “Guns of Brixton” is often interchanged with The Pixies' “Nimrod's Son” or “Holiday Song” as a closer. Sounds like a win/win to me.
Pela recently split from their record label, Great Society, and are currently shopping around for someone to release Rise Ye Sunken Ships, naming July as a possible release date. Until then, those of you in Europe can probably catch them on tour with The Gaslight Anthem. Grump. Someone find these dudes a label already!
