I Break Horses @ Mercury Lounge May 30
Mercury Lounge was sold out for the I Break Horses show last night, and I was looking forward to seeing this indie synth duo in person. Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck hail from Stockholm, Sweden but have been opening up for M83 lately, so the large crowd seemed as ready as I was to check them out live. I chose their song "Heart" for my Fall 2011 Playlist, with its wash of synths and dreamy swirls of vocals. It's also the title track of their debut release.
It turns out the show was delayed because Lindén was backstage "throwing up all over the dressing room," as she later explained when the band finally took the stage at 11:30. (They were slated for an hour earlier and things were ready to go at least a half hour before.) She told the crowd that she was "not feeling well at all today." I imagine that was quite the understatement. The band began with the song "Heart" with an overzealous volume and lackluster lighting casting a pall over the performance. My camera wasn't getting anything and I knew videos were out of the question, plus the music was punishing at those sound levels. After the third song, I turned around and grabbed my date Paul who was as happy to leave as I was.
It turns out the show was delayed because Lindén was backstage "throwing up all over the dressing room," as she later explained when the band finally took the stage at 11:30. (They were slated for an hour earlier and things were ready to go at least a half hour before.) She told the crowd that she was "not feeling well at all today." I imagine that was quite the understatement. The band began with the song "Heart" with an overzealous volume and lackluster lighting casting a pall over the performance. My camera wasn't getting anything and I knew videos were out of the question, plus the music was punishing at those sound levels. After the third song, I turned around and grabbed my date Paul who was as happy to leave as I was.