DECEMBER 16th 2000
BROWNIES
NEW YORK, NY
Sucking In Stereo Tour
The full setlist is not known at this time
but the following songs are known to have been played:
one hit wonder
Father Christmas (Kinks Cover)
Fucks Off
- New York Press Show review Here or read below:
The Figgs Brownies (December 16)
My friend Paul turned me onto the Figgs five or so years ago. We were on our way to Burger King for some 99-cent Whoppers when he popped Lo-Fi at Society High?the band's seminal '94 release?into the tape deck. I remember listening to that first track, "Step Back Let's Go Pop," and feeling that same sense of elation I experienced when first listening to the Descendents or Dag Nasty. So when Paul called and asked if I wanted to meet him at Brownies for the Figgs show, I responded with a simple, "Fuck yeah!"
I arrived just before Radio 4 went on, and attempted to make my way through the packed crowd. Waiting in line for a Jack and Coke, I overheard a cute redhead tell her friend that she was going to buy her brother the Velvet Underground box set for Christmas. That's my kind of girl, I thought? until I heard her next sentence: "Lou Reed was in that band, right?"
Radio 4 played a quick but mind-blowing set, railroading the crowd with a torrent of hits off their Gern Blandsten release, The New Song & Dance. I expect big things from this local trio. The Figgs took the stage around 12:30, and I was so excited I nearly pissed myself. Luckily, moments before the first chord struck, I found Paul standing off to the side in perfect proximity to the bathrooms, and a spot so close to the action I could touch the band with a ruler.
Guitarist Mike Gent opened the show with a little holiday cheer from their "Christmas Shake" single, setting the evening's high-energy motif into full throttle. The first few songs reaffirmed why I love this band so much: pop-punk power chords with all the passion and precision that made bands like the Replacements and the Lemonheads so great. This three-piece from Albany played their asses off, never stopping to acknowledge the throng of girls in the front row mouthing the lyrics to nearly every song. When bassist Pete Donnelly kicked into "One Hit Wonder," a heavy dose of bluegrass twang, I couldn't help but pump my fist in the air like a dumb Dio fan.
About midway through their powerhouse set, the band leaped into a tremendous cover of the Kinks' "Father Christmas." Then drummer Pete Hayes, who I thought was going to puke up his dinner because he was playing so hard, led the Figgs through a high-speed rendition of the classic crowd-pleaser "Fucks Off." The chorus repeated the lyrics "Because this fucks off" so many times I thought I was spinning in a blender full of middle fingers.
When the band came out for a final encore, they performed an obnoxious epic rocker that sounded more like Golden Earring than the band I paid to see. Sometimes the dessert isn't as good as dinner. But when a band speaks to you as the Figgs once did me, it's best to keep listening. Which is exactly what I intend to do."
- Ned Vizzini
The full setlist is not known at this time
but the following songs are known to have been played:
one hit wonder
Father Christmas (Kinks Cover)
Fucks Off
- New York Press Show review Here or read below:
The Figgs Brownies (December 16)
My friend Paul turned me onto the Figgs five or so years ago. We were on our way to Burger King for some 99-cent Whoppers when he popped Lo-Fi at Society High?the band's seminal '94 release?into the tape deck. I remember listening to that first track, "Step Back Let's Go Pop," and feeling that same sense of elation I experienced when first listening to the Descendents or Dag Nasty. So when Paul called and asked if I wanted to meet him at Brownies for the Figgs show, I responded with a simple, "Fuck yeah!"
I arrived just before Radio 4 went on, and attempted to make my way through the packed crowd. Waiting in line for a Jack and Coke, I overheard a cute redhead tell her friend that she was going to buy her brother the Velvet Underground box set for Christmas. That's my kind of girl, I thought? until I heard her next sentence: "Lou Reed was in that band, right?"
Radio 4 played a quick but mind-blowing set, railroading the crowd with a torrent of hits off their Gern Blandsten release, The New Song & Dance. I expect big things from this local trio. The Figgs took the stage around 12:30, and I was so excited I nearly pissed myself. Luckily, moments before the first chord struck, I found Paul standing off to the side in perfect proximity to the bathrooms, and a spot so close to the action I could touch the band with a ruler.
Guitarist Mike Gent opened the show with a little holiday cheer from their "Christmas Shake" single, setting the evening's high-energy motif into full throttle. The first few songs reaffirmed why I love this band so much: pop-punk power chords with all the passion and precision that made bands like the Replacements and the Lemonheads so great. This three-piece from Albany played their asses off, never stopping to acknowledge the throng of girls in the front row mouthing the lyrics to nearly every song. When bassist Pete Donnelly kicked into "One Hit Wonder," a heavy dose of bluegrass twang, I couldn't help but pump my fist in the air like a dumb Dio fan.
About midway through their powerhouse set, the band leaped into a tremendous cover of the Kinks' "Father Christmas." Then drummer Pete Hayes, who I thought was going to puke up his dinner because he was playing so hard, led the Figgs through a high-speed rendition of the classic crowd-pleaser "Fucks Off." The chorus repeated the lyrics "Because this fucks off" so many times I thought I was spinning in a blender full of middle fingers.
When the band came out for a final encore, they performed an obnoxious epic rocker that sounded more like Golden Earring than the band I paid to see. Sometimes the dessert isn't as good as dinner. But when a band speaks to you as the Figgs once did me, it's best to keep listening. Which is exactly what I intend to do."
- Ned Vizzini