Wavves @ Arches

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Lauren Clark and Chris Lavery checked out America’s latest export Wavves at the Arches on 8/11/10

Support came in the form of two very different bands, ‘Paws’ and ‘Otherpeople’. The latter, a four piece indie-rock band with obvious musical potential and the former being what I’d imagine Wavves to sound like had they not discovered marijuana and learned to play their instruments.

While Nathan Williams and his band mates powered through their set, awkwardly chuckling away as they received what could only be described as a molesting from the inebriated crew of miscreants, you couldn’t help but admire the way the boys handled the situation. They were happy consenting to the rambunctious occurrence, so as not to generate any negative vibes, whilst maintaining an appropriate level of professionalism as they continued on.. The balance struck between professional musicians and lovable reprobates was clearly established in the three band members and really summed up their performance as a whole. I never expected the front man who infamously flipped out at Primavera 2009 due to a hearty breakfast of narcotics to appear so composed and on the ball as he did this evening.

Keeping it real on stage with his ‘I just rolled out of bed and picked up a guitar’ attire of sweat pants and army boots, Nathan and the boys bang out one of their better known numbers, ‘King of the Beach’, early on in the evening to get the crowd motivated and manage to generate constant enthusiasm throughout the set with a mix of tracks from all three of their albums. As expected, the tracks from ‘King of the Beach’ got the best response, but with the infectious energy of the band being so Moorish, along with the constantly reassuring indication that they are, in fact, enjoying themselves, there were no lulls to be seen throughout the hour long set.

Nathan Williams of Wavves

In the musical ability stakes, I’d have to say that comparison to the vocal styling’s experienced on the studio enhanced albums, which even then are a far cry from earth shattering, the level of vocal aptitude offered up by front man, Nathan, left a little to be desired. Having said that, the tenacity with which the boys went at their instruments more than rectified the limited lyrical talent on offer wiith arguably 90% of that being down to the captivating presence of Nathan Williams. For such a little guy, he commands a whole lot of attention on stage, burping and high-fiving all over the shop, ensuring that his ‘slacker-rock’ image was still very much in tact.

www.myspace.com/wavves

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