Monday, October 22, 2018

Ulrika Spacek Played Baby's All Right with Honduras and No Swoon, 10/17/18

Ulrika Spacek by Rose Lamela

A Breezy Fall Night

Words and Pictures by Rose Lamela

Going out during the week is hard for me as I have settled in my ways of kicking off my shoes after work and relaxing in my cozy dwelling. I've been embracing the older me, so it only bothers me part time. When it starts to get cold out, I get even worse. I growled to myself a little when I saw Ulrika Spacek playing on a Wednesday; but, when my second thought came in,  I was immediately reminded how much I love this band.

I left my shoes on this past Wednesday and set my mind to Brooklyn. I usually hit shows on my own, but this time I had a companion. Hitting the streets of Brooklyn with someone to enjoy the over-priced coffee and thrift store creatures is definitely rewarding. Introducing someone to a new band and then bonding over a live show is priceless. If the rock gods are listening, thanks for the plus one on the guest list!!

Baby's All Right is a sweet venue. It's very spacey and has a specific room for the live music madness. I especially loved the decor and found myself with a feeling that this was what it was like in the 1960s in London when Pink Floyd was playing the psychedelic circuit. Ok, maybe that's not accurate, but the desire for it to be real is serious.

No Swoon started off the show with some soft vocals over the crunchy sounds of a guitar. In and out weaved the synthesized keyboard sounds of what was a good start to a show. Very mellow and a precursor to what was ahead. Honduras woke us from our meditative state only to kick it into a solid gear. There was a woman in the audience that struck up a conversation with me just to tell me that this was her favorite band. I smiled and understood immediately.

No Swoon
No Swoon
No Swoon
No Swoon
No Swoon

A little after Honduras walked off the stage, a weird mix of synths and a french-speaking woman started playing as the stage got super dark and a projector lit up the back of the stage. Maybe I am on point when I thought Pink Floyd in the 1960s. It looked like a live show I watched on VHS of Floyd playing "Interstellar Overdrive" back when Syd Barrett's acid problem was still manageable. Or was it?

Honduras
Honduras
Honduras
Honduras
Honduras

Ulrika Spacek took the stage, and I looked behind me to see a packed, dark room. They were worth coming out for on the first cold day of the fall. They played a few songs from their latest album, Modern English Decoration, which has been playing in my car for most of the year. The best jam session they had was during the song "Everything, All the Time." I try not to compare things when I listen to bands, but their live performance was very reminiscent of Radiohead but way more raw and louder. Lead singer, Rhys Edwards, stopped playing at one point to make a comment about the decibel restrictions in NY and London. I had no idea what he was talking about as my sensitive aging ears found it rightfully loud. I am not complaining, as I love my music loud; and this band damn well deserves to be as loud as they want. I was especially delighted to hear the song "Full of Men."

Ulrika Spacek
Ulrika Spacek
Ulrika Spacek
Ulrika Spacek
Ulrika Spacek

We exited the room and witnessed a completely different universe of happy Brooklynites dancing around after midnight. I got myself together, and we walked into the cold breezy fall night. It's these nights where you swear the next morning will not hurt but it always does. Even though I woke up feeling like my eyes would never fully open, all I had to do was put Ulrika Spacek on my car speakers for the commute to work, and everything was just right. I'm ready to hike it back to wherever I need to go, where the wallpaper screams kaleidoscope dreams and the music is louder than my thoughts.

Check out Rosi's full photosets over at her Flickr account.

1 comment :

  1. Thanks for the introduction to Ulrika Spacek. Modern English Decoration and their EP are both excellent.

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