Saturday night the crowd at the Ninth Ward at Babeville were on the receiving end of a solid and frequently brilliant night of music from NYC's Caveman and local up and comers Cemeteries and Aircraft. There's been some buzz on the Interwebs about Caveman and locally about Aircraft, and it was real nice and genuinely exciting to have that buzz totally justified.
The show kicked off sharp and on the money with new local favorites Aircraft. It was my first time seeing Aircraft, and yes, I am officially now down with Aircraft. They have the four minute new wave pop song down pat, but because they're more psychedelic than strictly new wave, the pop songs come off explosively, big and shiny within that pleasingly tight song structure. Phoenix by way of early Pink Floyd with terrific vocal harmonies and a fun Talking Heads vibe, that's my initial take on Aircraft, and because I'll certainly be on the lookout for them this summer that's my first of many takes on this excellent up and coming band. Yes, it all works for Aircraft. Local band Cemeteries followed, offering a more atmospheric and moody take on their indie shoegaze rock with nice Ezra Koenig by way of Roy Orbison vocals. They're still a work in the progress inasmuch a lot of their songs just kind of end abruptly, but there wasn't anything wrong with what they were doing up until that point, and like Aircraft they sounded terrific in that excellent brick basement space.
The stage was perfectly set for up and coming NYC buzz band Caveman, and they did not disappoint. Kicking off their set with dual percussion reminiscent of early 00's Radiohead, Caveman settled into a mighty and tasteful groove they maintained throughout thanks to their pleasing Beach Boys vocal harmonies, powerful melodies, and exceedingly solid rhythm section. At a time when indie music is awash in (plagued by?) trends and the never-ending churn of the quest for the next big thing, it was most gratifying to see a "buzz band" operating comfortably above and beyond the fray. Caveman said they were keen to come back to Buffalo and I for one hope they do, and often.
I just hope their lead vocalist survived the Mighty Taco. That could be a deal breaker.
Special kudos are also in order for ESI Events for putting this fine show on, and the sound guy at the Ninth Ward for another magnificent job. The sound in that wonderful venue was astounding.
Dennis is the best sound guy in Buffalo.