Thee Oh Sees / Bare Wires

Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver BC, September 5

BY Mark E. RichPublished Sep 7, 2011

Oakland-based Bare Wires have been on a tear recently. Non-stop touring and a steady release schedule of seven-inches, a new album and a recent appearance on Castle Face's Group Flex singles set, have all helped in creating a dedicated fan base. It was clear by the influx of bodies towards the stage when Bare Wires got up to play that Thee Oh Sees weren't the only reason people came to the Biltmore that night.

Sticking mainly to songs from Bare Wires' recent full-length, Cheap Perfume, the three-piece dropped song after song of infectious glam and power-pop-infused garage rock. Led by the shaggy and moustachioed Matthew Melton, who also moonlights in garage boogie act Snake Flower 2, churned out endlessly catchy riffs that wormed their way into the skulls of the entire audience, most of whom would eventually be caught shimmying along to the throwback jams.

Despite an audience less than half the size of their last appearance at the Biltmore back in November 2010, San Francisco's Thee Oh Sees still pulled in a decent crowd and, as per usual, threw everything they had into the set. Augmented by the addition of longtime associate Lars Finberg (the Intelligence), Thee Oh Sees skipped the oddball psych folk of the recently issued Castlemania and instead played a set of what must be tracks from their forthcoming second album of 2011, Carrion Crawler/The Dream.

It clearly didn't matter to the audience that most of the songs were unfamiliar, as the usual intensity of their renowned live show was in full effect, instantly sending the audience into a bouncing frenzy. Bodies were flying above the crowd during the entire set, which eventually caused a couple overzealous security guards to get a little too rough, much to the vocal dismay of Thee Oh Sees main man John Dwyer. He eventually invited the crowd up on stage for the final song, creating a dance party alongside the band, much to the dismay of the bouncers. Not a bad way to end off the summer.

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