It was a locals showcase night at Plush last night. I didn't catch all five bands but I did see The Anchor, Like Dogs, and the Bread. One thing that should be mentioned about these acts is that they all feature the same drummer. This is indicative of the atmosphere of the show. It seemed mostly like a very loud gathering of friends more than a formal concert.
If you've never been to Plush it should be noted that this club is tiny. The capacity can't be 100 people and there is no real stage, it's more like an area in front of the bathroom. This makes any show you see at Plush extremely interactive. On most night you'll find DJ's spinning hip-hop, drum 'n bass, or whatever-tronica is popular at the moment.
In any case last night punk, metal and whatever-core were the order of the night. The Anchor brought speedy, punk melodies with call and response lyrics. Between song chatter included lots of feedback and inside jokes.
Up next was Like Dogs who bring their own flavor to music. Their genre-hopping sound has the intensity of metal, mixed with hip-hop breaks, and psychedelic poetry lyrics. They are a three piece band where rhythm is king, the only instrumentation is done with a drum kit and bass guitar. But don't think they don't bring the melody cause that bass sounds like no bass you'll hear anywhere else, and the unique vocals demand attention. In short the one word I would use to describe Like Dogs is confrontational. This isn't a sound for wallflowers, this is a sound to get in the pit and scream your face off.
Lastly but not leastly was Hole in the Wall regulars, the Bread. Like Dogs bass player says the Bread is the best band in Austin and they certainly delivered last night. Of the three acts I saw they brought the most melodies and harmonies to their set. Their sound is definitely more roots-rock than the previous acts, which pretty much demands more melody and harmony. When Like Dogs and the Anchor were getting off on Motorhead, the Bread were probably more into CSNY.
You can stream music from any of these bands on their MySpace pages(Links above).
Video and more after the jump...
The Anchor live @ Red 7
So this clip is like a 10 minute SXSW diary but it's all I could find on YouTube for Like Dogs:
Binary Marketing video of SXSW @ Plush featuring Like Dogs
Damn it was tough to find content for the Bread. I love you guys and everyone should here them but you try doing a search for the Bread. haha
The Bread Live
But they do have a 3 songs streaming and one available for download on their MySpace.
