THE BLACK LIPS / THE PONYS @ Bowery Ballroom – 3/26/07

The Bowery Ballroom will be host to two of the hottest bands on the brink tonight in The Ponys and the Black Lips. The Black Lips have gained a huge amount of press/notoriety following breakout performances in last year’s CMJ Music Marathon and last week’s SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. You can read NYCUG’s previous post about them here. Chicago’s Ponys are former In The Red labelmates of the Black Lips and, like the Black Lips, they have made the jump to a larger label, in this case Matador. And while their music has certainly dropped off since their 2004 debut, they are still worth checking out live. Although, it must be said that their shows are either really good or really bad (i.e. stomping off the stage after 20 minutes for seemingly no reason) so be forewarned.


RIYL: The Dirtbombs, The Monks, Pavement

BLACK LIPS @ Sin-e’ – 11/2

If you don’t know the Black Lips, you are certainly missing out on a real cultural treasure. That being said with only a small degree of sarcasm, the BL’s have a loud, trashy garage rock sound reminiscent of the Stooges or the Germs. But if you are the average concert goer: WATCH OUT! Their amazing latest release Let It Bloom on In the Red Records, only scratches the surface of the dirtiness of their live act. Turning a live concert into something of white trash performance art, you will get some type of bodily fluid all over your clothing. This may be vomit, piss, most certainly spit, or possibly something far more foul. And then there are the firecrackers…. Needless to say, their antics have gotten them barred from almost every venue in Atlanta and others around the country. Definitely see them before they get booted out of NYC.

Just remember, wear clothes you don’t care about.