It can be pretty agonizing deciding what gig to head into on any given evening. Simply put, sometimes there are just to many fine options. So when I was forced to decide between whether to check out New York percussionist and composer Kid Millions, who drumming skills left me in awe back in 2014, or fellow New York noise (with emphasis on the noise) rock legends A Place To Bury Strangers, I procrastinated and wallowing in my inability to make a decision. And then like that, the music gods arrived and decided to throw me a bone and toss both gigs into the same venue, Yue Space, stacked up one on top of the other. Well I’ll be damned. That’s a hell of a way to force my hand. But in reality – shitty news – as Yugong Yishan has been forced to shut down since then and is patiently awaiting judgment from the forces that be whether or not they can open again (a permit would be nice right now, wouldn’t it?). But I must admit, it was pretty damn fine to check out Kid Millions again getting down and dirty with White Ensemble – a experimental noise collective that featured just about every Maybe Mars player imaginable including, wait for it, Zhang Shouwang (Carsick Cars), Yang Fan (Ourself Beside Me), Xu Bo (P.K.14), He Fan (Birdstriking), Yan Yulong (Chui Wa) with Wang Xu (white+) and for shits and giggles gogoj on visuals. An all-star lineup indeed. And if that wasn’t enough A Place To Bury Strangers bring some ferocious, hard hitting, and downright badass noise rock, which to the dismay of some, wasn’t quite loud enough. Well my ears certainly didn’t mind – these three were on fire and the crowd was eating up the distortion, guitar wailing, and theatrics. Now, that’s the New York I’d like to remember.
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