Poster Children
with Tender Idols, Young Antiques
Echo Lounge, Atlanta
April 15, 1999
by Frank Mullen
The Poster Children have everything I look for in a band -- they're loud, fast, tight, have a sense of humor, and they're Macintosh power users. Stir those things together and you've got a great record like their New World Record (spinART). Add an audience, shake lightly and -- PRESTO -- it's the amazing rock show of the season!
The Young Antiques were an energetic trio, bouncing around like epileptics while kicking out country-tinged power pop. Especially uplifting was a juiced-up version of Bowie's "Five Years," about the last thing I expected to hear from these cowpokes.
The ever-popular Tender Idols did as fine an interpretation of Oasis as the Gallagher brothers themselves. What they lack in originality, though, they make up for in fan appeal -- the club mysteriously filled up with young women as the band came on, then just as mysteriously emptied when they were done. If there's a secret ingredient in their fog machine, I'd like to get some.
Finally, the Poster Children took the stage. They seemed to have a good time just setting up their gear, and Rose Marshack (bass) killed a few minutes handing out girl scout cookies (Samoas), leading the club in singing "Happy Birthday" to guitarist Jim Valentin, and cracking a few jokes.
The crowd was small, but one of the most dedicated I've seen at any show -- people were jumping and singing along with every song. And with good reason: the band ROCKED. This was easily the most sonic-sational show around these parts in months.
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photos by Frank Mullen |
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Poster Children |
Rose is all energy, jumping and twirling, living the songs -- at one point she had to untangle her cord, which had become a plate of black spaghetti from her gyrations. Singer/guitarist Howie Kantoff has the energetic quirkiness and appeal of David Byrne or Frank Black. With the musical talent and energy of Primus, XTC, or the Buzzcocks, I can see why their fans were so devoted to this band. Finishing the show, they were called back for two "real" encores (not preplanned on the set-list), including "If You See Kay" from their '92 Daisychain Reaction .
One of the great things about the Poster Children is how they've extended the DIY punk ethic into the high-tech age, doing all their own graphics, including software goodies on their records, and maintaining a great and personal web site. At one point, Rose snapped a photo of the audience with a digital camera for inclusion in the "tour reports" section of the site.
Now, here's the weird thing. Fast forward two days later, and a visit to the site finds a current tour report including a review of this show. And I was shocked to read that they thought it was "terrible" and they "played like crap." I don't understand how the view from the stage could be so different from that of the audience.
Between this gig and the last time I saw them (in '92 or so), I can honestly say the Poster Children are one of the best live bands I've seen. If this was a bad show, I don't think I could live through a good one. But maybe one day, I'll get a chance to try...
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Poster Children |
Screen savers, MP3s, wildly inaccurate tour reports, and more at the official Poster Children website, http://www.posterchildren.com
