The Hold Steady

[Psychocandy]

I've been listening to their new album Boys & Girls In America off and on for the last few weeks and it's a great album. But seeing them live last night in a tiny wee venue in Glasgow has pretty much crystallised what I already suspected of them. They are a shit hot live band. I arrived early, as per usual, so that I could take in the support. I didn't catch the name of either of the support bands but i'll be trying to find out who the band that played directly before The Hold Steady were as they were pretty fucking good (they mentioned their name at least three times but i'm a bit of a cloth eared cunt and didn't catch it). But the night was all about The Hold Steady. They played with the kind of vigour you would expect from a band headlining a festival. When I saw The Decemberists the other week I didn't think any band/artist would come close to providing that level of sheer heart in the throat entertainment for a while, at least not until I see Jarvis Cocker next week, but The Hold Steady are definitely punching at the same weight. If you get the chance to see them live DO NOT PASS UP ON IT. Here's the set list...

Stuck Between Stations, Hot Soft Light, Chips Ahoy!, The Swish, Cattle And The Creeping Things, You Can Make Him Like You, Party Pit, Massive Nights, Multitude Of Casualties, Don't Let Me Explode, Stevie Nix, Your Little Hoodrat Friend, Southtown Girls.
Encores: First Night, Guys Go For Looks Girls Go For Status, Killer Parties

I thought after Southtown Girls that they could not possible impress me more. Then they hit us with a triple whammy of an encore that had me grinning like a fucking loon.

[The Heart Collector]

They're a pretty decent band, but I find all these comments on reviews that Craig Finn is 'one of the nation's great lyricists' or something completely preposterous.

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by The Heart Collector
They're a pretty decent band, but I find all these comments on reviews that Craig Finn is 'one of the nation's great lyricists' or something completely preposterous.

He is pretty fucking good though. And seeing them live last night everything positive that's been written about them crystallised and made absolute sense. I like their albums a lot. But live...different fucking ball game. Live they are astonishing.

[The Heart Collector]

He's pretty good and I like the band, but like... You know... when I think of great lyricists, I dunno, I don't think of the dude fronting a bar band.

And before you say "But Dylan's first backing bands were probably not even as good as The Hold Steady and Dylan's a genius", allow me to STAB YOU IN THE SPLEEN.

[Psychocandy]

Well i'm a massive Bob Dylan fan so for now my spleen shall remain unpunctured. But the term bar band as a form of insult is overused and more than a little tired. I've never walked into a bar and heard a band as good as The Hold Steady. If bands this good played bars i'd have destroyed my liver by now.

[Superplasmatron]

Originally posted by Psychocandy
Well i'm a massive Bob Dylan fan so for now my spleen shall remain unpunctured. But the term bar band as a form of insult is overused and more than a little tired. I've never walked into a bar and heard a band as good as The Hold Steady. If bands this good played bars i'd have destroyed my liver by now.

I have no idea who they are but surely they can't be as shit as the blood arm, and as for bar bands the Beatles did allright for a bar band, or as we say her pub group

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by Roy L Dennis
I have no idea who they are but surely they can't be as shit as the blood arm, and as for bar bands the Beatles did allright for a bar band, or as we say her pub group

I've heard of but never heard The Blood Arm.

[Superplasmatron]

they are crap, umm what

[XHendrix24]

Not a big fan of these guys. They aren't terrible or anything, but nothing too special in my opinion. Maybe they're just not down my alley.

[Superplasmatron]

they aint all that

[Psychocandy]

Originally posted by Roy L Dennis
they aint all that

With all due respect...and I do have respect for your opinion. Have you seen them live? Because...if you haven't. Well your opinion lacks the weight it would carry if you had. I liked the albums. Liked them. But seeing them live was a revelation. It was an infectiously intense performance that had me grinning like a loon by the end. It was the kind of live performance that succeeded in tranforming the opinion i had of their recorded works from being a mite more than lukewarm to something altogether different.

[JCPhoenix]

It took me two years to come to this conclusion (when I first got Separation Sunday the only song that I liked was Stevie Nix...for the most part, I couldn't stand the vocals) but the Hold Steady are one of my five current favorite bands. And I think Finn's one of the best lyricists around today.

My favorite Hold Steady songs are Certain Songs, Killer Parties, First Night, Chillout Tent, Citrus, 212-Margarita, Stevie Nix, Hot Soft Light, and Don't Let Me Explode.

[Rated R]

Hey from nearly four years later.

Just saw The Hold Steady a week ago. Been getting into them for the past year and every day I like them more. After seeing their live show they solidified their place in my top bands list. What a show. Kind of surprised they don't get more play on these boards especially since Heaven is Whenever came out this year. Though it isn't as great as the previous four it's still a good record and I enjoy it more with each listen.

Anyone else big fans?

[Psychocandy]

With all due respect...and I do have respect for your opinion. Have you seen them live? Because...if you haven't. Well your opinion lacks the weight it would carry if you had. I liked the albums. Liked them. But seeing them live was a revelation. It was an infectiously intense performance that had me grinning like a loon by the end. It was the kind of live performance that succeeded in tranforming the opinion i had of their recorded works from being a mite more than lukewarm to something altogether different.

Wish I could jump back four years and tell this fucking arsehole how big a fucking arsehole he is. :mad:

[Rated R]

Wish I could jump back four years and tell this fucking arsehole how big a fucking arsehole he is. :mad:

No longer a fan?