Deerhunter could care less in NYC

November 8, 2008, at Bowery Ballroom

By Rema Rahman
Published: November 11th, 2008 | 12:50pm

Watching a fan fall asleep in the front row at a rock show isn’t a good sign as far as success goes, but it’s hard to get into a live band when they seem just as disinterested in their music as the audience is below them. Understandably, this is the New York indie-rock scene and you’re supposed to be too cool to move at shows. But is it supposed to actually be this boring? With no stage presence and little energy, save for the handful of occasional head-swayers in the second row, it was inevitable to get lost in the drone-filled psychedelic rock that Deerhunter exhibited to a stiff crowd at a sold-out Bowery Ballroom on November 8.

Though the Atlanta-based band is more used to opening for major acts such as TV on the Radio and Nine Inch Nails, the quintet headlined this night in support of its album Microcastle (Kranky). The musicians were joined by the harmonic, all-girl Brooklyn trio the Vivian Girls and the three-piece, punk-infused style of Times New Viking — whose members proudly proclaimed its home to be the blue state of Ohio. While the Vivian Girls managed to stretch out their three-song discography into a 30-minute set that included two new tunes and a Beach Boys cover, Times New Viking proudly proclaimed its muse before each song — one about being on drugs and one about taking drugs, all the while looking like they were on drugs.

Whatever drugs Deerhunter admitted to taking before getting on stage were certainly displayed during the band’s hour-and-a-half set. Though the group did play the more professional part of the three bands when it comes to musical equipment, that didn’t always make up for the rigid stage presence. The colorful array of foot pedals at guitarist Lockett Pundt’s feet had him fiercely focused on his instrument and nothing else for the entire set. While bassist Josh Fauver either had his back to crowd or turned around to absent-mindedly stare into the venue’s balcony, lead singer and guitarist Bradford Cox carried whatever energy he could muster, albeit very little for a lead singer.

While more pop-formulated tunes like “Never Stops” and “Cryptograms” helped keep the show going at a moderate pace in the beginning, the hypnotic, monotonous cords of “Spring Hall Convert,” “New Animals,” and “Little Kids” made the show feel twice as long. Deerhunter’s sound on CD comes off better than the live show, maybe because you can skip around the disc at your own free will, but also in part because of the Bowery’s acoustics, which desperately needed fine tuning as vocals were nearly drowned out completely.

Nonetheless, it was apparent that the band’s music could not make up for the lack of interaction between the audience and the musicians themselves. Though Deerhunter’s ambient, slow-rock style does break some creative barriers, the band members have more than enough potential and talent to take their sound to new, more innovative levels. Judging from this show alone, it seems the toll of constant touring has caught up with them, and left them with little heart to impress a crowd.

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heatherwoood (over 3 years)
There are so many things wrong with the article it actually made me bother to take the time to register a login to point them out to you. 1) Making generalizations about the "indie scene" being too cool to move at a show is not only cliche but untrue. And the very fact that you bring it up shows how little you know. 2) Do you even like Deerhunter? Or did you just go to write up this little piece? If you did like them, you would know & understand the different route they are taking with their live shows. Rather than being flamboyant and crazy (see all shows previous to 2008), they have taken to being silent & reserved & allow the music to speak itself. 3) If you did your research you would find that Deerhunter are not a mere band who are "more used to opening for major acts such as TV on the Radio and Nine Inch Nails" 4) With THREE guitarists the vocals are not meant to be the forefront of the band during live performances. And Bowery tends to have the best sound in the city for shows. think twice before writing up another awful review, even if you think it's awesome that you're attempting to go against the grain.