Live Review: Titus Andronicus w/ Free Energy

Castaways, Ithaca, NY

Castaways is a bar in Ithaca. The only reason why I point this out is that fact that the first time I saw Titus Andronicus was at the debacle that was "Last Stop Penn State". I have always been under the assumption that Titus Andronicus would prefer guerrilla warfare in small venues and bars to big stages and festivals. Their amazing show at Pitchfork Fest this year changed my opinion on this (I guess it helps when the crowd is actually their to see you and not Fabulous), but like any good punk band, bars and mid level venues are their battlefield.

I would have taken more and better pictures, but all I have is a 3gs iPhone, whose battery was nearly dead by the time Titus Andronicus even took the stage. I was in the front row until the mosh pit started. It might not have been the biggest mosh pit ever, but it had heart. so for the remainder of the show I was either on the fringe of the pit or in the the thick of it, so no pictures.

Now to the review.



OPENING ACT: Free Energy
Free Energy is a band out of Minnesota/Philadelphia, for the most part. They gained a large amount of hype after signing with DFA and having their debut album produced by the one and only James Murphy, him of LCD Soundsystem fame. Stuck on Nothing was released in March of 2010 to favorable reviews. My  2 cents: its a pretty cool album, very 70's-ish in its vibe.





Free Energy play like they were shot out of a cannon. The singer and lead guitarist at least (not really sure of names at this point). The singer is reminiscent of a young Iggy Pop, jumping around the stage and pointing at fans who were dancing or pumping their fists. At one point he begged everyone to dance and when a small pocket of kids actually did, he jumped into the crowd and danced with them. Well done, sir. The lead guitarist was surprisingly great. he had the swagger of any great guitar player, strutting around the stage during his solos like he owned the place. They had a great presence, and for a band with only one album under their wing, sounded amazing. I expect big things from them.


Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus, from New Jersey. If you've ever listened to their music I guess you would probably know that. They released their second album The Monitor, in March of 2010, to massive critical praise, including a glowing article on NPR and an 8.7 from Pitchfork. My 2 cents: As of right now The Monitor is at least one of the three best albums to be released this year.





Titus Andronicus opened with their most recognizable song, A More Perfect Union. That sent the crowd into a frenzy. Like I already mentioned, mosh pits, etc. Needless to say when a band plays a smaller venues, most people there are going to be pretty big fans. Nearly everyone in the crowd was singing along to the more well known songs. It was a great atmosphere, to say the least. The band might not have had the most energy, but their music was able to do that for them. Loud, angry, anthemic, are words that come to mind. They played a pretty standard set list, the only surprise being a cover of the Misfits "Where Eagles Dare" (which was sung while lead singer Patrick Stickles ate slices of cucumber, which about 25% of ended up on the crowd). They had some surprising links to Ithaca as well, lead singer Patrick's girlfriend graduated from Ithaca College, and they had friends in the crowd from the area who attended Cornell. Patrick's banter was great as well.


They were great, the venue fit them perfectly, and overall it was a lot of fun.


Final thoughts: There are those chance shows when you are at the height of your love for a band and they miraculously are playing in your area. This was one of those shows for me. Simply amazing.


Setlist:

1. A More Perfect Union
2. Richard II
3. Theme From "Cheers"
4. No Future Part Two: The Day After No Future
5. No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future
6. To Old Friends And New
7. Albert Camus
8. Upon Viewing Brueghel's "Landscape With the Fall of Icarus"
9. The Battle Of Hampton Roads
10. Titus Andronicus Forever 
11. Titus Andronicus 
12. Where Eagles Dare (The Misfits cover) 
13. Four Score and Seven