Concert Review Pt. 2 - Dem Pharmacists

So after Titus left the stage, there was a brief intermission before Mr. Leo himself walked out. He walked up to the microphone and thanked the crowd (" 'Anks!") before immediately kicking into "Little Dawn," one of the best songs on Shake The Sheets (available below). For those who don't already listen to him, Ted Leo is kind of an ex-punk-but-still-kind-of-punk guitarist who sings in a fairly high register. By the end of the first or second song, he already broke a string on his guitar and got out the secondary one... an identical instrument (beautiful Gibson 335, absolutely fantastic sound).

Seeing him and the Pharmacists play live is, quite literally, like having your face rocked off. They play smart, energetic punk that has about as much in common with The Clash as it does with Thin Lizzy and Okkervil River. It's nearly an amalgamation of the energy of punk, the epic power of classic rock, and the literate, forceful intelligence of indie rock.

Their set consisted of all the classics that I assume they play at every show; "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone," "Shake The Sheets," and, of course, "Me And Mia." Every song was played passionately and the entire band seemed to be having just as much fun as the crowd. They rocked through a lot of new songs, as well. Leo noted after one song that it was the "first time we've ever played that one in front of anyone else." To balance out the really new songs, they also went through some oldies, like, "Timorous Me" from 2001's The Tyranny Of Distance.

The best part of the set, I would say, was the finale. While playing the last song of the night, Ted broke another string on his secondary guitar and decided to just give up with playing the instrument. He did straight vocals for the remainder of the song, and during the "guitar solo," he decided that he was finished with the guitar entirely. He grabbed the headstock, ripped it the rest of the way off, and began slamming the body against the stage. By the time it was destroyed enough, he thanked the crowd and left. The encore, suffice it to say, was performed on a different guitar, and was just as energetic and exciting as the beginning; they finished the whole set on "Shake The Sheets," one of the best songs from the album of the same title (uploaded below!). They really know how to put on a show, and I highly recommend stopping by, even if you've never really seen them before.

Ryan and I both left with chunks of Ted Leo's wrecked guitar and were so feeling the whole set (even though we didn't recognize a lot of the songs from his latest release).



And now the album!


Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets (2004)

Seriously, this is, like, punk's older brother. It's fiery, it's danceable, it's got provocative lyrics that make you think. It's just a good time, and I can not recommend it anymore than I do now! So GET IT!!

Recommended Tracks: Me And Mia, The Angels' Share, Little Dawn, Shake The Sheets
Genres: Indie, Punk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?tnznzmyhoki