Teenagers Touch Down at 1/2ALIVE

And here it was - my DJ debut (in the works for me for about a month) and also the very first North American tour date for the Teenagers in Vancouver B.C. Let's rewind to about last month when I asked my favorite Fedchuk if I could open for everyone's favorite lewd Frenchies seeing as 1/2ALIVE were putting it on. After a yes, I asked a handful of DJs for advice, from Portland's own DJ Joee Irwin who recommended a book and questioned whether I'd be setting speakers alight via Serrato or Traktor to Greg aka DJ Nerverforget of Finger on the Pulse who referred to me to Hoop Dreams and deterred me from traktor. A friend convinced me of Ableton for my audio attack, briefly showed me how to use the virtual decks and then instead of giving me the program as promised, sent word of Lily Allen's miscarriage - which I had already read about the day prior on Perez Hilton. So needless to say, Party All the Time - the DJ "super group" formed by me, Meg of Consumable Audio and Louis of Fake Shark Real Zombie were going to be going the way of itunes. Yes - I just wrote itunes. Hey - if Dev can rock itunes at Reading Festival, then so can we. Plus we were going on at doors, so it's not like that many people would be there to see us suck. That was until we were moved up to an 11pm slot. More on that later...

My!Gay!Husband! was oh so hot for Feist during his set (and on many a remix/blog) - both times - when he was on just after doors and then again after the Teenagers took their bow.

(taken before doors)

Jason also played a song by Vancouver band Fuck Me USA who are far too awesome. Think the Rapture, but a bit more snarly. The song was 4 years old which would make it a pioneer in the reemergence in disco-funk-punk, but it sounded so current that I almost shed a single tear when I found out they had long ago disbanded. now one of them helps run Pop Montreal - a music and arts festival in good old Montreal that didn't show my polaroids in the 2006 edition of the fest. Another single tear.

A Coconut Records track was the first to truly call me to the floor and remixes galore kept me on it throughout the night minus when Party All the Time took the stage and when the Teenagers appeased the screaming throngs first with opener "Starlett Johansson" and then with the rest of their eleven song set. But before we go there, we must first Party All the Time.

(the attendees during our set)

First off, we felt like make-a-wish kids - like all our dreams were coming true hahahahaha
Seriously! Can I be anymore indebted to the 1/2ALIVE crew? We ended up playing our set in Serrato instead of itunes. By "we," I mean Tyler and I and by "Tyler and I," I mean Tyler.

In front of a crowd of 500, we took to the stage while uber flamboyant MC Curtis Santiago sang the Eddie Murphy song we're named after to introduce us and our appearance onstage. There was disposable camera snapping, silly string spraying, knuckle writing and occasional button pushing. Everyone including the crowd and us were dancing and cheering. Whoo!

Party All the Time's 1/2ALIVE / Teenagers setlist:

"The Bears are Coming" Late of the Pier
"Sweaty" Muscles
"Get Naked" Britney Spears
"Can't Chose" Naive New Beaters
"Circle Square Triangle" Test Icicles

Download our set as a Podcast (MP3 format)

Dorian from the Teenagers watched a bit of our set as we'd told him in their hotel room prior we'd be playing some FOB (which we cut for Uffie which we then had to cut period)

Did anyone notice how much Teenagers' "Starlett Johansson" sounds like Tyler's old band Bulletsnake's "Oh Ya?" hahahaha Like it seriously does, but I didn't just think that off the top of my head. Right before Party All the Time went on, Tyler was finishing out his set which included some Wings goodness (plus a George Harrison remix) and I was like "I first heard this in a Smashed Robot! podcast! I first heard this in a Smashed Robot! podcast!" to myself. Then today, while trying to track down the original post I stumbled upon one about his old band... Go listen to the first few bars yrself.

So how were the Teenagers?

Why are we even talking about their set when we could be talking about their hot drummer?

Seriously - I have been OBSESSED with Antonia since I first spied her behind the drum-kit when I saw them in London a couple weeks ago. At first, I thought one of them must have a model girlfriend and that she just wanted to fool around with the drums before they took the stage. Then I realized she was the latest edition to the band. When chatting with Tyler last month - she was like the first thing I mentioned about seeing them live. 1/2ALIVE's TonyX mentioned in the facebook thread for the gig that I'd said they rock. I think their drummer rocks. By rocks, I mean: is a fox. Then upon finding out day of that Tyler had met up with them before the B.C. gig, the first thing I asked was "Did you see their drummer!!??!"

They've added yet another female to their lineup in the form of another guitarist. It noticeably expands their live sound. Backstage before the show, Quentin and the new guitarist were going over guitar parts and practicing. In their dressing room, he mimed a frown and tears while mentioning they were nervous. He mentioned it again from the stage, but not one of the Teenagers appeared to falter once during the set.

My personal highlight: Quentin invited a bevy of females onstage for "Homecoming." There was dancing and singing as some girls traded lines with him on the mic as one does on the MP3 and it was a great interactive addition. They're still a bit blase in terms of the live show in the way that if you took away the audio, how would you be able to tell it was the Teenagers on stage and not some other mid-tempo rock band? Other than Quentin's side-part and quirky eyebrows producing some charisma from his spot center stage, that moment truly ushered in a connection between the band and the audience so that the show wasn't one delivered by any band, but a show delivered by the Teenagers.

Some people were a bit disappointed, but how can anyone have expectations when it comes to bands primarily riding on blog hype? I say, just appreciate them for what they are instead of thinking about what they've been built up to be. Oh so many up front were oh so enthralled and I couldn't help but think what a perfect night for the Teenagers to began their inaugural tour with - a soldout 1/2ALIVE gig.

Teenagers set list Vancouver B.C.:
Starlett Johansson
Feeling Better
III
Make It Happen
Trouble
Sunset Beach
Love No
Fuck Nicole
Homecoming
Streets of Paris
End of the Road

"Fallen Snow" (The Teenagers Remix) Au Revoir Simone MP3

"1234" (My!Gay!Husband! Remix) Feist MP3

A few more photos:
It's Party All the Time, bitch:

(my glasses thanks to Kyle)

Tylernessssssssssss rocks some "Thun-der Hei-st":

The ever enjoyable TonyX:

Curtis with the mostest:

Louissssssssssss:


"Don't forget to send me a friend request":

Party All the Time Myspace

1/2ALIVE myspace

Curtis Santiago myspace

The Teenagers myspace

Not on the Guest List myspace

Fake Shark Real Zombie! myspace
 

Comments

[tyler]

haha. bulletsnake, I have no idea how you found my shitty old band.

[Louis]

Wow I didnt know we opened with LOTP - the bears are coming!! which in my top 5 fav songs at the moment! some cocorecs would have rounded things out perfectly but i know tony and tyler are all about that right now!

And theres nothing wrong with rocking Itunes, fsrz were headline DJ's with itunes
http://www.lindsaysdiet.com/photosfive/june2707/img_065.html
At a sold out club in Tokyo!

[Dmitri]

wow the comment about the drummer! so true! Just saw her in montreal and google'd it. I talked to her for about 5 seconds and it made my life! well more like 7 seconds, but still ughhh, most beautiful girl i've ever seen in my life.

[Leigh]

Great article.

And good point about the hype.