Concert Recap: Fang Island, Adebisi Shank and All People @ House of Blues NOLA 8/20/12

At first glance, the Fang Island/Adebisi Shank show would seem to be oil and water. The sounds and musical styling do not necessarily mesh. By the end of the night, those misconceptions would be put to rest.

The night started out with Community Records recording artist, All People, a noise/post punk/reggae band. They powered through a twenty minute quick set, to a very sparse crowd, but did manage to set the tone for the rest of the evening, raw, noisy, and energetic. You can also check them out at Mushroom Records on September 30 at 7 PM for a free show with Habitat, a three piece experimental fuzz-pop band.

Adebisi Shank @ House of Blues New Orleans Parish Room – 8/21/12 || Photo © Steven Hatley

After a quick change, Adebisi Shank took the stage. There is an odd beauty in enmity when it comes to Vincent McCreith and his presence on stage. The red mask reminiscent of a Munich terrorist complements the noise and experimental nature of the music. Vocals, although sparse, were produced through a Frampton-esque effect. Midway through the set Vince lost his amp. Instead of stopping or panicking, like true pros, the rest of the band launched into an impressive improve piece, not missing a step. Throughout the set we were comically reminded that is was Vince’s birthday. Drinking a shot on stage without breaking the enmity was quite comical. Detour aside, the band powered on, feeding off the crowd and in return the crowd responded with that same amount of energy. The room was beyond electric. The music to me is as if Trans Am and Lightning Bolt had a love child. I told guitarist Larry Kaye the same sentiment after the show, a comment he seemed to take as a compliment.

After Adebisi Shank’s set, the crowd abruptly dismantled itself, but right before Fang Island came on stage quickly reestablished itself. It was quite bizarre, an energy replenishment break of sorts and boy would they need it.

Fang Island @ House of Blues New Orleans Parish Room – 8/21/12 || Photo © Steven Hatley

The band describes their music as, “high five music,” which is why the oil and water concept hung over me. The first two thirds of the set held true to that notion. After they played the brisk paced “Sisterly,” off MAJOR, the set took a complete 360, a powerful, raw, and edgy direction. Mirroring Adebisi Shank’s set energy; Fang Island owned three tracks of prolonged instrumental genus. The addition of a touring bassist and an additional guitarist made a big sound even more grand a full. The main set ended with their anthem “Daisy.” As an encore the band came back and played crowd favorite “Davey Crockett.” The forty-five minute set was to the point, a well groomed mix of both of their albums.

So oil and water may not mix, much like that crazy Sugarcubes/Public Enemy tour, but Fang Island and Adebisi Shank in the end did make total sense.