Last night held many classic Silver Dollar moments — the venue stuffed good and full of a rowdy crowd, as the floor shook and flexed in that unsettling but equally exciting manner. You know you won't fall, yet wonder if you might. The energy in the venue was palpable, adding to the atmosphere already set by the fog machine. A lone green light illuminated the round Silver Dollar Room sign (which is a surprisingly low res replica of the beauty of a sign outside, once you get a good look at it), while a single red light shone on drummer Liam O'Neill.
Suuns are masters of mood within their music; they casually approached the stage and instantly had a hold on the audience. Lead guitarist Joe Yarmush was a fright of a sight, hair completely hiding his face as he made his way into the first song of the night, "Translate," off of last year's brilliant and deconstructive Hold/Still. Each member of Suuns is a wonder to watch: Max Henry on the keys, holding his chest and shutting his eyes as he brought the low end deep and delirious; the ever-reaching Shemie all wild-eyed and sensual in an almost blush-inducing way (particularly during "Paralyzer"); and O'Neill bouncing in his seat as he kept the heavy and often scattered beat. These four are some of the finest musicians going right now, taking liberties with their drone groans and noise, swirling together in a thick broth of sound.
Making their way through the set with older cuts — the immediacy of "Powers of Ten," "20/20" (that naturally had bodies dancing and hands clapping in response), and lulling "Edie's Dream" off of 2013's Images du Futur, and a few tunes from 2010's Zeroes QC (the disturbing delight "Pie IX," which could have been a tad heavier, and guitar-driven "Gaze") — Suuns never allowed the energy to wane. As METZ frontman Alex Edkins joined the band on stage to perform a boisterous Fugazi cover, everyone was left pining for one final tune to devastate them. The encore never came and the audience, feeling like we all will after the Dollar closes, was left wanting more.
Suuns are masters of mood within their music; they casually approached the stage and instantly had a hold on the audience. Lead guitarist Joe Yarmush was a fright of a sight, hair completely hiding his face as he made his way into the first song of the night, "Translate," off of last year's brilliant and deconstructive Hold/Still. Each member of Suuns is a wonder to watch: Max Henry on the keys, holding his chest and shutting his eyes as he brought the low end deep and delirious; the ever-reaching Shemie all wild-eyed and sensual in an almost blush-inducing way (particularly during "Paralyzer"); and O'Neill bouncing in his seat as he kept the heavy and often scattered beat. These four are some of the finest musicians going right now, taking liberties with their drone groans and noise, swirling together in a thick broth of sound.
Making their way through the set with older cuts — the immediacy of "Powers of Ten," "20/20" (that naturally had bodies dancing and hands clapping in response), and lulling "Edie's Dream" off of 2013's Images du Futur, and a few tunes from 2010's Zeroes QC (the disturbing delight "Pie IX," which could have been a tad heavier, and guitar-driven "Gaze") — Suuns never allowed the energy to wane. As METZ frontman Alex Edkins joined the band on stage to perform a boisterous Fugazi cover, everyone was left pining for one final tune to devastate them. The encore never came and the audience, feeling like we all will after the Dollar closes, was left wanting more.
