Photo by Phil Bardi
Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing Battles perform a set of their progressive, electronica-infused experimental rock at Crowbar in Ybor City. The place was as packed as I've ever seen it, so much so that the drafts produced by the A/C and multiple fans barely penetrated the smoke-and-sweat-saturated air.
I have to give partial credit to Pitchfork for the hefty turn-out; the pretentious online music publication gave the band's LP, Mirrored — which came out in May — a 9.1 rating out of 10, calling their sound "indivisible" and lauding the album as "a breathtaking aesthetic left-turn." The live show was a boisterous and generally danceable good time, and I look forward to seeing them again. Perhaps in a cooler setting?
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2007.