Monotonix!
Caught the Monotonix show Thursday night at Bourbon St. It left me relatively speechless. A review on their website says a Monotonix show is "performance as performance art and rock as confrontation," which I guess is fairly spot on. Beer (both the band's and the audience's), trash, and bandmembers alike flew through the air. The drum kit was disassembled and distributed throughout the audience at various points in the set. The show ended with the lead singer singing from atop the bar, the drummer playing his snare atop the bar (with his head literally through the ceiling tiles), and the guitarist playing from atop a barstool. Oh yeah, and the music was good too, a really tight, trashy, riff-rock.
The logistics: the band set up in the middle of the floor at Bourbon St., and used everything but the stage as a stage. I had no idea how long the set was -- this wasn't a show where you dared to avert your eyes and check your watch -- but it went by in a snap. If you get the chance to catch the Monotonix as they continue their U.S. tour (looks like they're hitting the East Coast, South, and West Coast from here), they come highly recommended.
Openers White Denim were also very solid. I dug the other band, but never caught their name. And I'm a sucker for the zany Tree of Fern (the remnant of Tree of Snakes, members of which I think were connected with ye ol' Sponic 'zine), who started off the festivities.
