New Age, Rene Hell and Awesome Shirt at Exit/In 1-24-11
by Ashley Curtis on Jan 31st, 2011
No Age at Exit/In 1-24-11. Photo credit: Ashley Curtis
Photo gallery: No Age, Rene Hell and Awesome Short at Exit/In 1-24-11
Last Monday night Sub Pop’s indie rock duo No Age performed at Exit/In alongside Awesome Shirt and Rene Hell in a show that was as colorful as it was eclectic.
Awesome Shirt:
These Murfreesboro Natives began the show with their own oddball brand of punk garage rock. Each song driven by uber-crunchy guitars and scant vocal outbursts was weaved together with what could only be described as avant-garde elevator music interludes. The crashing and bashing of Awesome Shirt was an acceptably abrasive beginning to the show.
Rene Hell:
The night moved in markedly more dramatic direction when electronica master Rene Hell took the stage. He performed his dream-like trance pop to a cascade of kaleidoscopic modern artsy images engulfing the stage. With the man himself hiding in the dark shadows, there was nothing to focus your attention but the way the light developed alongside the equally colorful and free flowing nature of the atmospheric sounds permeating the room.
No Age:
Performing in their own sea of color and light, No Age steered the show down a decidedly more energetic path, pulling you back and forth between punked out ambient rock and full-fledged recklessness. The two-piece kept the crowd moving with their steady acceleration to extravagant tempos and danceable rock bliss.
Fresh off their latest release, Everything in Between (2010), No Age seems to have struck a beautiful balance between the garage and a more mature sound, without losing the music’s engaging and distortion drenched soul. Seeing that balance unfold on stage was a worthy endeavor.
Reviewer: Ashley Curtis