The Sly Oyster | culture & entertainment on the sly

Go figure my camera died on the way to the show and I couldn’t get many picks.  But despite the lack of visuals, the band put on another high energy show.  The last time they were here they played over at The Crystal Ballroom, which seemed a bit cavernous for them, nestled comfortably at The Doug Fir it seemed like the venue was busting at the seems.

The Duke Spirit find themselves in a place many bands often do: their sound is too big for small places but not really anthemic enough for some of the large venues.  It’s clear that in a year or two, with a lucky break here or there, that Leila Moss and company could catch a wave of popularity.  Surprisingly, there was only a small audience there last night of very appreciative fans.

I’ve seen The Duke Spirit a few times now and regardless of audience size or venue they’ve played each show like they’re the biggest band in the world.  There’s very little stage banter, lots of swagger; it’s just an hour and a half of straight music.  That wonderful mix of psychedelic blues and Sonic Youth-style rock.  Leila prances around the stage and has developed a comfortable presence - really letting her freak flag fly.

As one of the peeps I was with last night said after the show, “She’s the coolest girl in the world.  She really is.”  And isn’t that how a rock star is supposed to make you feel after a blistering set of scuzzy tunes?  Like there’s nothing the average person could do to compete for coolness points?

The band relied heavily on material from Neptune, which is one of my fav records of 2008, and also played several choice cuts from 2005’s Cuts Across the Land.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the opening band Reporter.  They’re from Portland a damn what an impression they made.  They sorta sounded like a strange combination of The Pixies covering Ennio Morricone.  All three members were exceptional and together it sounded like they’ve been playing forever and have developed something all their own.  They’ll be playing the PDX Pop Now this weekend, so if you get the chance to, check them out.

The Duke Spirit have hit the road for another tour of the states, which if you can check them out you should. They’re playing a lot of small clubs, so at most it might be a $10 or $12 cover charge. Trust me when I say this, but they are one of the best live bands going. Just ferocious. They are full of piss, vinegar and squalor, but they deliver it in a loud, tight, pretty package. And no, we’re not just talking about lead singer Leila Moss.

The new video for “Lassoo” manages to capture the essence of their live performance, even though it’s not really a live performance. The song is one of the better ones of their dynamite sophomore album Neptune (Shangri-La Music). It sounds like it could fit comfortably off their first disc, which found the band more scuzzy, more Sonic Youth. However, their growth is evident with the subtle touch of horns sprinkled throughout the song and the more polished songwriting.

What the band does do, about as well as anyone, is tap into that emotional core in all of us. You don’t listen to this music so much as you let it surge through you and sweep you away.

Mp3: The Duke Spirit - “Lassoo”

U.S Tour Dates:
July
19 Mountain View, CA @ Download Festival @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
20 Los Angeles, CA @ Download Festival @ GIBSON Amphitheatre
22 Los Angeles, CA The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
23 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
24 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
26 Seattle, WA @ Nectar Lounge
28 Hollywood, CA @ Amoeba (instore)
30 New York, NY @ Webster Hall w/ Supergrass

August
1 Philadelphia, PA @ WXPN/World Café – FREE
1 Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint (NEPTUNE Live From Neptune, NJ)
2 Camden, NJ @ Download Festival @ Tweeter Center
4 Baltimore,MD @ Ottobar
5 Boston, MA @ T.T. The Bear’s
8 Jersey City, NJ @ All Points West Festival @ Liberty State Park
9 Pittsburgh, PA @ New American Music Union Festival @ SouthSide Works
10 Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
12 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
13 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
14 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle

Also: The band will be on Leno on July 22, so you can set your Tivo’s to watch them if you don’t want to make it out to one of their shows. For all you budding rock photographers – submit your best live photo over at Buzznet and win a chance to interview the band and have your photos featured in their official TourZine, as well as a Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera [Enter Here]

The Duke Spirit played a brief, but incredible set last Thursday.  They’ve become more polished since the last time I saw them and relied on the majority of cuts from their sophomore album Neptune. Still, they haven’t lost the roughness of their sharp, shoegazer style of blues.  They played loud and vicious and unhinged.  It’s a sound perfect for small venues - a sonic wall derived straight from My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Jesus & The Mary Chain and The Velvet Underground.

Frontwoman Leila Moss is captivating as she shimmers around the stage, banging a tamborine and yelping from the bowels of her soul.  She is banshee, a lioness, a frenetic force of energy.  The band around her is a tight unit, led by guitarist Dan Higgins and drummer Olly Betts.  It’s a good night when you’re only complaint is they didn’t play longer.

One of the things I loved about Britain’s The Duke Spirit, was that they seemed to combine the best parts of Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground and some of that grungy, garage-rock in a way that was uniquely their own. Led by Leila Moss, who shimmies around the stage wailing like a banshee and slapping her tambourine as if it were possessed, the five piece band have a new album coming out Neptune.

So far we’re pleased with what we hear, it’s a bit more refined sound and they’ve taken some nice sonic chances, actually improving upon their sound with horn arrangements, glockenspiel, etc.; it doesn’t immediately leave as big impression upon us as their debut Cuts Across the Land, but it does sound like something we’ll listen to more frequently. The band has gone for brevity and that counts for a lot in this ADD musical times we live in.

The first video is for the song “The Step and the Walk” which isn’t a huge departure from the sound of their first album.

They’ve also got a video out for album cut “Lasso”

Mp3: “The Step and the Walk”
Myspace: The Duke Spirit

Neptune is out 4/8 on Shangri La Music, however you can also buy it right now on iTunes. Go figure.