The Molds, Poetry in Shorts 短裤里的诗歌, White Ink 白墨水 @ Mao Livehouse 2021.04.30
Kicked off the Mayday holiday to say hi to some friends over at Mao Livehouse where a trifecta of rock and rollers were stirring up trouble. Strangely enough, I seem to enjoy Mao more when it’s low-key, instead of crammed with a bunch of wide-eyed kids a bit too eager about the bands on the bill. And while they were plenty of fangirls out there tonight I was grateful I was able to snake my way through the crowd throughout the night.
Kicking off the night was White Ink, the college-bound scrappers whose busy, cheeky alt-rock packs a lot in – some California funk rock, a bit of puckish pop punk, and even some brooding indie rock. It’s a sound that takes a bit of wrangling but for the most part the trio are game, earnest in their conviction and having a bit of fun in the process.
Poetry in Shorts are leaning more and more into their pop sensibilities and I kinda love it. There are pieces of Queen in there, bits of The Libertines – really a swirl of influences that never distract from the fact that these cats are hella good at writing catchy melodies that hook you in. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a playful nature to how some of the arrangements unfold – injecting some psych rock rowdiness and free jazz aplomb wherever they see fit. It’s a well-rounded sound that has a bit of everything for both classic rock and roll enthusiasts and indie rock newcomers.
Caught a bit of The Molds before heading out – as they expanded with the addition Hai Ming omg keyboard and transforming into The Bad Molds for the night. While the band can come off as detached from time to time – I felt they were really leaning into their dusty downtrodden lounge blues even more so tonight (the Elvis shirt kind of gives it away) capturing a sound that’s a cross between The Great Gatsby and David Lynch.
Be the first to comment