Finally. After almost a decade, I was given the opportunity to see Polvo perform live. I can still remember the day Ian introduced me to Celebrate The New Dark Age, and how I immediately fell in love with it. More so than My Bloody Valentine, more so than The Pixies, more so than any other “indie” band that has reformed in the past four or five years, the chance to see Polvo live actually interested me. Reformation/reunion announcements are a dime a dozen today, and usually I will glance over a news item or press release when I receive them, or I simply don’t bother reading them. Polvo’s announcement was an exception; they are a band that has always excited me.
I arrived at The Echoplex just as Trans Am was beginning to set up their gear. I only like two of their albums (Trans Am and Red Line), so I can’t say that I was all that into seeing them. They sounded really good when they didn’t sound like bad Kraftwerk or a Nintendo game’s 8-bit mess. I guess it’s cool that they turned down almost $200,000 to have Hummer license one of their songs.
Polvo were pretty much what I hoped for, which was a relief. The band displayed almost zero stage presence, but showcased impeccable timing and solid musicianship. They sounded way tighter than they do on any of their records. The crowd seemed to dissipate throughout the show, which I suppose could be a) because they were “bored”, or b) because that’s what always happens at concerts in LA. One should don’t attend a Polvo concert if they desire to see energetic dudes tearing shit apart on stage, or because they want to smile their way through a series of sunshine-y happy songs, or in the hopes of being captivated by an ethereal frontman. A Polvo concert simply offers one a chance to hear some incredible guitar sounds, insanely tight rhythms and beautifully textured songs. For me, Polvo achieve what Sonic Youth has never been able to accomplish (at least to my ears): they take basic pop songs and make them sound utterly fucked up and beautiful while retaining killer hooks and displaying a keen sense of melody.
Guitarists Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski played off one another perfectly, and made a set comprised of challenging and unusual rock songs sound effortless. New drummer Brian Quest looked as if he’d been playing with the band for years. He and bassist Steve Popson played off one another extremely well.
All told, I got exactly what I wished for when the show was announced, and never once felt like I was watching a band who reformed simply because, well, every other underground rock band from the ’90s is reforming now. The band even slid a new song into the setlist (and it was good! Take that, The Pixies!), which brings hope to those of us who felt Shapes was a pretty lousy way to round out the band’s discography.
