No Press Pass: Crystal Castles & HEALTH At Studio B

(Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for the pic, I lack any capability to get solid shots like theirs.)

So last night I found my way over to the abandoned warehouse region of Brooklyn for a chance to see the ever-popular Crystal Castles performing with HEALTH. After almost not getting tickets (I was the 49th person out of 50 who was allowed to get tickets not in advance), I tried my best to pull some strings with some big bodyguards with the line "I swear, I write for Panda Toes and I just need to get a little closer." Unfortunately they were a lot bigger than me and weren't familiar with the blogging world, plus I lack any kind of authoritative look (unlike the manifestation of the Panda Toe in the form of Greg Dona).

The crowd was filled with your average run-of-the-mill hipsters, your standard "you can tell I'm an artist by my glasses", and your leather-jacket clad elitists who wanted to see if HEALTH could really live up to the hype and if Alice Glass could look as good Karen O used to. Unfortunately for everyone, the opening act Esque sounded like a dissapointing Interpol cover band (saved only by the nonchalance and of their bassist and drummer) and started the night off on less than a bad foot.

Shortly thereafter, HEALTH calmly walked on and immediatly ripped into face-melting beats that got even the smallest girls happy to try and hurt some bitches. The four-piece banged, screamed, and jumped their way through several songs off their self-titled debut and built up the intensity as fast as they would let it drop (it almost became a running joke between the band and the crowd). Although, as my friend Alex so aptly put it, there was no way they could live up to their recorded material (the singer just couldn't recreate the chanting that adds so much to their album), they surely kept up, perfectly in sync and pounded away at a short but sweet set that left the entire crowd sweaty, angry, and exhausted.

3 cups of water and a redbull later, I was ready for Crystal Castles. It was hard to imagine how they could regain the hopelessly exhausted crowd (it was quite the emotional rollercoaster thus far) but Crystal Castles brought it all together. The lights turned off and the familiar strobe lights began. The duo, plus a nameless drummer (I'm really sorry dude), came on stage and immediately reinvigorated the crowds spirits. Alice Glass, like a possessed demon stared into the crowd, screaming and whispering into her microphone as Kath, almost invisible in the corner, his face concealed by long hair and a hoodie, worked away at his keyboard and the drummer bashed away clear and precise rhythms. Crystal Castles' unique and electronic sound came out in full swing and worked the crowd into a frenzy, piercing everyone's skulls with shrill sounds and over-whelming bombast. The show left everyone sweaty, exhausted, and slightly offended by that guy who seemed to be behind everyone, trying to get some action, but nonetheless fulfilled with the raw intensity that the night had brought.

HEALTH - Crimewave (YSI)
HEALTH - Crimewave (zShare)