10 Live Sets Worth Checking Out
It's another listicle, but it's pretty good...
Once again I'm slacking on putting together an article, but I have a good reason this time: I accidentally deleted the 40-minute interview I did with a band that was meant to be used as the source for writing the article about them — and didn't notice until couple weeks later. To make it worse, now they're not replying to my emails. So... that's how that's going.
Anyway, how about another listicle? I've been finding a lot of live sets that I find myself watching/listening to on repeat lately. Some by bands I like and a surprising number of bands I normally don't listen to, but the performances are actually really great. Here’s a list of 10 concerts/live sets you should check out before the end of summer (or anytime, really).
DOMi & JD BECK — Le Poisson Rouge, NYC
October 19, 2022
DOMi & JD BECK are a jazz duo consisting of French keyboardist Domi Louna and American drummer JD Beck. Domi & JD first met at the 2018 National Association of Music Merchants Show, and since 2019 they've been backing musicians for acts like Thundercat and Anderson .Paak.
DOMi & JD have made a couple appearances here, and as I always mention, almost all their songs are better live. Something about their studio recordings feel a little flat/sterile on a lot of tracks, though it does work on others.
Regardless, I’ll always suggest watching their concerts/live sessions first. I’ve posted this set before, but I think it’s a good place to start and it has replay value even if you’ve already seen it. And yes, DOMi’s piano bench is a toilet.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra — Tiny Desk Concert
June 2, 2023
Unknown Mortal Orchestra is a “psychedelic rock” band from Portland, Oregon. Most sources say they’re from New Zealand, but lead singer/guitarist/songwriter, Ruban Nielson, moved to Portland from NZ years before UMO was formed. While still in NZ he was in a relatively successful band with his brother Kody called “The Mint Chicks” — so, maybe that’s the cause of the confusion. He’s from NZ (born in AU), the band is from the US.
It feels weird to type, but UMO is one of those bands that I’d list among my all-time favorites that I don’t really listen to much anymore… still love them, but listening to them kinda makes me sad these days.
That said, this Tiny Desk appearance is great… for obvious reasons like the cozy, almost ASMR production quality Tiny Desks are known for, but also because it demonstrates that the songwriting is strong enough to stand on its own without the studio production of their albums — which is kinda the main thing that makes them “psychedelic”. Also: Ruban’s father, Chris Nielson, joins them on sax.
Y-OTIS — AEDEN LIVE IN BERLIN
April 1, 2022
Y-OTIS is a four-piece, sometimes three-piece, band from Berlin started by Swedish saxophonist Otis Sandsjö and jazz bassist & composer — also from Sweden — Petter Eldh. With Dan Nicholls on keys and Tilo Weber playing drums, they create what's been dubbed "Liquid Jazz".
Y-OTIS is another group I’ve covered before. In fact, I’ve already posted this live set in Is Jazz Having A Moment?, but I’m still watching it [or listening while working] and it’s the most recent live set I know of from them.
Tame Impala — Live From Wave House
March 10, 2022
Tame Impala is another psychedelic band, this time from Australia... and like UMO, Tame Impala is mostly the work of the lead singer, but while UMO is generally considered a "band", Tame Impala generally seems to be seen as the music project of Kevin Parker… with a touring band.
I gotta admit, I never really got into TI. I liked "Let it Happen", but never really got hooked on any of their (or, I guess "his") other songs. Despite this, I've watched this live set multiple times now. It's a full play-through of their debut album InnerSpeaker at a studio in Yallingup, AU dubbed "Wave House" that overlooks Injidup Beach and has an amazing view of the Indian Ocean coastline — it's also where this album was recorded, and in 2020 Kevin bought it.
IDLES — From The Basement
June 1, 2022
IDLES is a post-punk/hardcore band from Bristol, London. This is one of those bands whose name I’d heard, but never really paid attention to… until I stumbled upon this live set a few weeks ago. Maybe not “favorite band” material, but they definitely have a couple songs I now listen to outside of this live set, which I’ve watched a dozen times now.
The band is tight, but Joe Talbot’s vocals are kinda the highlight for me… very expressive — gritty and shout-y, but still melodic and in tune… I guess you could say “soulful”, but that’s probably not so apparent until the penultimate song of the set — he actually has a really good voice in general.
Anderson .Paak + The Free Nationals — Live At Home
Feb 12, 2021
Anderson .Paak is a singer, rapper, songwriter, and drummer originally from Oxnard, California — I assume he's in LA now. He's best known as the non-Bruno Mars half of Silk Sonic, but he actually won a couple Grammys before that. Though, the track that won him Best Rap Performance is pretty horrible, IMO — didn't really fit his style, just seemed like he was playing a character... that he really wasn't cut out for. Wasn’t into it. Anyway...
I actually never heard of him until a few years ago when I started to see his live sets pop up. I was aware of Silk Sonic, but I don't really pay attention to Bruno Mars... so, when I first saw an Anderson .Paak set I didn't have a clue who he was, I was just blown away by his ability to play drums and sing — and his songs are super catchy, too. It wasn't until I started looking into him that I realized who he was — I'm still kinda shocked he isn’t as well-known as Bruno Mars.
He's another artist whose live performances tend to sound better than their albums. There's just something about his live sets that hasn’t been captured on an album... though, some of it is just bad production. Like, what is that chuggy guitar in the chorus of Put Me Thru and why is that shaker so loud? Also: it's so slow... and sterile sounding. Definitely start with his live performances.
At one point he had the most viewed NPR Tiny Desk appearance, but he's been overtaken by Dua Lipa... also, I already have a Tiny Desk on this list, plus I really like this set... with one BIG caveat: the GrubHub shout-outs and graphic overlays nearly ruin the entire thing. It's only a couple times near the end, but... still. Apart from that it's a great set... and I like that you can hear the room — a little too much every now and then, but other times it works.
Waldo's Gift — Live at Trinity Centre
June 3, 2021
Waldo's Gift is a three-piece band formed in Bristol, UK in 2017 — their sound vacillates from the sophistication of modern jazz to cacophonies of experimental electronic music, with a heavy dose of improvisation… though, that’s occasionally due to the nature of using an array of effects pedals the way their guitarist does — not always to easy to dial in exact settings in a live situation when playing previously recorded material.
I covered these guys just about a year ago and included this set — they do have newer ones, but I like this set list better. I don’t know if these guys just aren’t marketing themselves that well, or what… but, how does something like Flower Bed still only have 3 comments (all within the last 7 months) after nearly 2 years?
Wet Leg - Live on The Porch
April 13, 2022
Wet Leg is an indie rock band from the Isle of Wight, UK. I randomly found the video for their song “Oh No” while surfing Youtube earlier this year. I was initially distracted by how no one was comparing her suit to the outfit/costume/character that appeared in several old iamamiwhoami videos — especially when the blonde was wearing it (then I remembered that was over a decade ago, and even then she was an obscure Swedish pop artist).
It took me a minute to realize there was actually some controversy… over online haters… because they’re attractive women, or something. I just thought it was a fun little indie band with some catchy songs. To be totally honest, the “controversy” seems a little contrived as there seems to be more people talking about the controversy itself than anything else. I mean, I’m sure they get some comments, but… who doesn’t?
Anyway… this is a fun a 15 min set, not gonna blow your mind, or anything — but I think it works as both an introduction to the band, and something you can enjoy and re-watch even if you already know them.
Thee Oh Sees — Live on KEXP
November 25, 2016
Thee Oh Sees/Oh Sees/Osees/etc [it changes a lot] are a garage rock band originally from San Francisco, currently in Los Angeles. They've been around in one form or another since the late 90s, but somehow never seemed to get much mainstream attention [outside some Pitchfork love back in the 00s] despite their prolific output and essentially being "indie darlings" for 2 decades.
Being the oldest set on the list (from 2017), I was debating on whether to include it. They do have newer sets, but the quality of this one is better... and it's the one I've been watching lately, which is kinda the theme. So...
Tonstartssbandht – Live to Tape at Pulp Arts
April 7th, 2022
Tonstartssbandht is a 2-piece indie-psychedelic band from Orlando, Florida made up of brothers Andy and Edwin White. I guess they were temporarily “from” NYC while Edwin was living here in Brooklyn, but their Bandcamp currently says “Florida”… so, I’ll go with that. Their name is pronounced “Tahn Starts Bandit”, which is explained on the first track of their first album.
I really only listen to 2 of their songs: their short king anthem from their debut album back in 2009, 5ft7 — and one of my current obsessions, What Has Happened, off their most recent album released in 2021. They do a pretty good version of it at the end of this set. Though, if I’m being honest, I only listen to the first and last songs if it’s not just playing in the background.
DOMi & JD BECK got me like 🕺