Show Review

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It’s truly a wonder Margot And The Nuclear So And So’s haven’t broken out of the scene. Sincere, tranquil folk rock with wonderful melodies, wonderfully driven harmonies, and a full band filled with horns, cello, and other assorted musical goodies—fans of Matt Pond PA would find themselves truly in love with this band.

Needless to say, when we arrived at the Troubadour, it was a bit surprising to see only about 50 or so people randomly scattered around the floor of the Troubadour. And while the breathtaking performance was only awarded with a calm, hum-drum response from the crowd (a few scattered hoots and hollers), I was all hands and shouts.

“The Dust Of Retreat,” the anthemic, vibrant record from the band, was recently re-released on Artemis Records. The remastered version sounds amazing, and I’ve recently been spinning this disc on rainy days—I think another music website said it best when they called the band’s style “Sex-folk.” And, on CD, this style, or more generally “Folk” might be an appropriate way to tag Margot And The Nuclear So And So’s. Live, however, the band put on a whole different story.

Immediately, the band’s many members and stage set up reminded me of Anathallo. Marching style bass drums, horns (well, just one horn player), a female and male dueling vocally, and a few guitars were all strewn across the stage. As their set began, however, the band dismissed any previously conveyed notions I had set in my head. Instead of being the mellow, smooth band I heard on “The Dust Of Retreat,” the band was loud, rocking, and full of a sort of pulsating energy. And, though their polyphonic sound came across as a bit messy, it made for a superbly entertaining performance. Playing an array of my favorite tracks from “The Dust Of Retreat,” it was difficult to think of any one specific moment I was truly blown away—the whole set was entirely encapsulating. Wonderful melodies from the singers, and a performance that was louder, more organic, and filled with noise—much in contrast to the rather ambient, mellow sound on the album. I was truly impressed—and as Something For Rockets played, we spoke with their singer for some time on the corner of Santa Monica about all sorts of things. I must say, it’s a surprise this band isn’t turning more heads—they are really something special, unique, and heartfelt. Fans of the band would be glad to hear they played some key jams, opening with “On A Freezing Chicago Street,” blasting off with a blistering loud “Quiet As A Mouse,” and eventually playing the wonderful, rhythm-heavy “Skeleton Key.” I was, admittedly, only a bit disappointed with the rather short set list which didn’t include what I would consider an essential song, the genuine and almost tragic “Talking In Code,” but who am I to complain. Even if you aren’t an avid fan of the band, the energy and loud dynamic of the band’s live set was, at the very least, completely alluring.

A band I have never been an avid fan of before tonight, South, recently released “Adventures In The Underground Journey To The Stars.” The ecletic, folky material on “With The Tides” was slightly put to rest as of late with the release of the new album, which has a little more blasting, amplified electric guitar lines throughout. For about half of their set, singer Joel Cadbury donned a blasting, vivid electric guitar—and for about half Cadbury brought out an acoustic, working with a pedal steel an serving up some of the more laid-back resonance of “With The Tides.”

It became more and more obvious, as a small crowd became a…well, bigger crowd, that the people were there for South. Wonderful vocals and beautifully rendered guitars stood firm amidst the spitting, hot drums that blew up South’s otherwise ambient songs. As they played an array of songs spanning mostly their latest release and last release, the crowd cheered viciously and I could suddenly feel the energy of the band’s unassailable style and mannerisms. I must say, after seeing South for the first time, I realized it would not certainly be the last—and therefore urge any and everyone into what I might term amplified folk to check out South.

All in all, as the night progressed, it became more and more crowded, but the intimate setting of this show was easily realized with Margot And The Nuclear So And So’s wonderfully homely set—and the same sensation washed over me during South’s pleasant, moody set. Go see this tour.

review by Andrew Martin