The Bravery & The Photo Atlas @ Irving Plaza 5/29

On Tuesday night I went to Irving Plaza to check out The Bravery and The Photo Atlas. The Cinematics played as well but I'm not really familiar with them so I didn't particularly care. I got to the venue at what I thought was an early time but as I entered The Photo Atlas started their first song. I tried to squeeze up front for pics but the place was packed and I was too late.

I was actually quite surprised to see so many people there early for an opening band. Apparently word is spreading quick about these guys. Like the rest of the crowd I was blown away by how awesome this band is. The first few songs people were kinda warming up to them but halfway through the set there was a little dancing and lots of hollerin' going on.

After the set I roamed around for a bit and waited for the Cinematics. At this point I began to get a pounding headache and wasn't in a pleasant mood. When the Cinematics came on I listened to a few songs and realized I don't really like them much. They didn't suck they just kinda sound like every other fucking band from Glasgow.

I decided this would be a good time to check my voice mail so I headed downstairs. I couldn't get a signal but I did run into Bronques. We bullshitted for the remainder of the Cinematics set and I don't think we missed much. After they finished up I headed upstairs and mingled with the various nightlife personalities on hand.

When The Bravery came on I headed downstairs to take some pictures. It was hard not to notice the crowd at this show. I don't think I've ever seen so many hot girls in one place. If you're a single guy I highly recommend attending Bravery shows. Of course the place was going crazy the whole time and singing along. There was even someone up front with a small child on their shoulders - and the kid knew every word. Sam even made a joke about how unusual it is to see a two year old in the front row singing along.

I know it's not very cool to like The Bravery but I'm a fan of their first album. Unfortunately they didn't play much from it. Most of the tracks were new which was a bit of a let down. I also noticed that the new tracks weren't nearly as tight as the older songs. Maybe they haven't had much time to practice the new album, or at least that's how it sounded.

Don't get me wrong, they were good and I was entertained but I was expecting a little bit more. Then again these poor bastards were trying to follow The Photo Atlas. After the show I talked to some of the people I knew who were there and they all agreed that The Photo Atlas fucking killed it. In my humble opinion they stole the show from all followers.

The Photo Atlas