Saturday, 7 Feb 2009
Last night was pure energy bottled up into the University of Wisonsin’s Der Rathskeller that exploded the moment Titus Andronicus his the stage at 9:30 and concluded with a sweaty mess of happy people begging Los Campesinos! for one more song. They didn’t get one more song, but they got a night of incredible enthusiasm, blistering performance, a packed house, and an A+ great time.
Admittedly, I walked into the student union last night as a casual fan of both. Would I pay to see either one of them again? Absolutely. Titus Andronicus really blew me away. Their energy simply stunned me. The crowd was going nuts and people were body surfing. Their music blended old-school surf-rock with an eye towards a club punk band. I heard and felt a lot of The Who and The Ramones too.
I was much more familiar with the Los Campesinos! material, and their set was supremely well-received. Theirs was more dance and upbeat, which pushed the crowd to even higher highs. It was almost impossible to see the band from my stance at the back right because bodies were bobbing up and down in pure enjoyment.
The beauty of the free shows is that it builds an audience base and concert going muscle memory. The opportunity for hundreds to experience two great new bands allows a musical community to build a base, and hopefully encourage and instill the importance and fun of live music that carries on when these bands return to play the clubs. Basically, remember last night and how fun it was and give both of these groups your dough the next time they come through town because they proved last night they’re totally worth it.
Per usual, Muzzle of Bees photographer Ed Oliver was in the thick of it shooting the photographic memories for you to enjoy below. Please leave us a comment with your thoughts, reviews, etc of the show. Thanks for coming!
Titus Andronicus
Los Campesinos!
77 Square: Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus tear up Der Rathskeller
Decider: Recap: Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus at Rathskeller
Veritas Lux Mea: Los Campesinos at Der Rathskellar concert review
Isthmus: Masses mob Der Rathskeller for Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus show
Myspace: Los Campesinos!
Myspace: Titus Andronicus
MP3: Los Campesinos! – “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed”
MP3: Titus Andronicus – “Titus Andronicus”
February 7th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I’m already chalking this one down as show of the year! I left Titus Andronicus’ set drenched in sweat and who knows what else, and decided to lay low in the back for Los Campesinos!’ set. I didn’t have the energy for two bands of that caliber in a row.
February 7th, 2009 at 11:09 am
wow, how I miss that venue.
kudos to the WUD kids. and great shots mr. oliver
February 8th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Ryan, this is a great review and so true. It was great to see so many people out at Der Rathskeller. From an organizational standpoint it was a nightmare, because we weren’t expecting as large of a crowd as there was! I hope to see this many people out at more shows though. WUD Music will keep trying to please. Should have a blurb about the show on our blog early this week: .
February 8th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
what you said about free concerts building ‘muscle memory’ was right on. It was great to see so many people there, quite possibly experiencing a WUD Music-sponsored concert for the first time or at least in a long while. Also– I meant to find you and introduce myself as a frequent reader but I didn’t get around to it as I was so absorbed in the concert. thanks, and i hope to see a show as successful as this again soon.
February 8th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Great writeup, and excellent photos from Ed. It was really great to see you guys again, wish we made it down more often. The crowd was really crazy, and it really brought the level of the whole show up a few notches. Chalk it up to it being free, the good weather, or just the great bands…either way, it was a stellar showing all around.