Punk rock reigns again with the Black Lips @ Market Hotel | Jun 5th, 2008

So last night, I made my way out to one of the new DYI venues to see the Black Lips that seem to be popping up in Brooklyn. An interesting trend mind you.....


Best part it is not in one of the gentrified areas like Williamsburg... No, no... It is big, bad Bushwick - one of the last neighborhoods of New York that stills wear the dodgy rep that once haunted New York.


Many moons I went to a few parties at McKibben lofts part of Bushwick but have not been in the area in years. Not much has changed it seems... But that is kinda refreshing considering since most New York has become a corporate mall.


The new venue is called the MARKET HOTEL.


It is pretty nondescript from the outside. The only reason I found the door that takes you to the 2nd floor space was there was skinny indie looking kid shooing away other indie kids from loitering in front of the ancient cast iron facade building.


Go up the rickety steps and you enter a fading former Dominican speakeasy from the late 70's. The stage was in the corner of the largest of three rooms. It had that CBGB's punk rock charm of peeling paint and fear of electrical fire from overloaded sockets. In fact, a few times the lights went out leaving the barely legal crowd dancing and moshing in the dark until the fuse was replaced.


Tonight, the line-up was: So So Glos - TITUS ANDRONICUS Gringo Star - BLACK LIPS .


The room filled up quickly for the So So Glos, the house band, which is a pretty good band with a definite clash vibe. It did not take long for a pit to form. The pit grew and grew as Titus Andronicus and Gringo Star played their sets. There was a definite brit influence in the air and the crowd seemed to get into. The roomed filled with slamming bodies and the fervor seem to grow the hotter the room became.

When the Black Lips plugged in, the place was on fire. Kids invaded the stage and danced the band in the corner. It was sheer punk rock madness. Bodies colliding. Drums wailing. Guitars thrashing....

Somehow I was thrusted on stage and landed by the amp. It ended up being a great place to be and it sheltered me from the full force of mayhem of the flailing front.

The crowd went from mosh to mob... Members of the band had seek out refuge by standing on the amps.

One point I saw the lead singer smack a drunk shirtless trouble maker in the head with his guitar. Next thing they were rolling on the stage knocking invading stage divers back into the crowd. Pretty punk rock.

With all the chaos, there was a brilliance about it. Not another typical New York show where the crowd is too self aware, too cool to unwind and let the music take hold of them. Not like the Terminal 5 show earlier in the week where the Black Lips challenged the Raconteurs status as monsters of rock and people just talked over them and tried hard to resist the urge to tap their feet.

It was one of the best shows I have been to in ages and it was so about the venue.

I look forward to many more sweaty fun filled nights there.


DETAILS:

MARKET HOTEL 957 Broadway @ Myrtle enter on Myrtle Bushwick, BrooklynJMZ - Myrtle, L - Jefferson, G - Myrtle-Willoughby


-- MYSPACE --> http://myspace.com/markethotelnyc