Show: Glassjaw
Date: February 25, 2011
Venue: The El Rey Theatre
City: Los Angeles, CA
Glassjaw
Photo by Nicolas Bates
Written by Michelle Oberg
Glassjaw, the four-piece, post-hardcore band hailing from Long Island, New York, came to The City of Angels for an intimate performance at The El Rey Theatre. A group of die-hard fans, usually sporting merch at all times, and/or tattoos of their beloved, were on hand. The influential band to the underground hardcore music scene kept their stage set-up traditional while offering their signature green…everything.
A sold-out, standing-room show commenced with Daryl Palumbo (vocals), Justin Beck (Guitar/keys), Manuel Carrero (bass), and Durijah Lang (skins) taking the stage with great enthusiasm. The crowd reciprocated and moved to every vocal and instrumental sound that penetrated through the room. Loud sounds, both clean and heavy, blared from the P.A. system with complete control. Beck had this “swagger” about his seductively smooth playing style to where I believe he may have some Latino running through those veins; the evidence of his musical passion is clear cut. Carrero’s interaction was more mellow but confident and well-played, while Lang handled the ultra-rapid beating of his skins like Josh Freese ripping through a set, and Palumbo (opting for the clean-cut route this show) utilized his disparate vocal abilities with screams, octave wavering, and singing to create an epic performance of hard-hitting jams.
While they take plenty of breaks with dead air between songs and with no talking or background noise, each time they reconvene, it seems to be with a heavier and louder demeanor than the previous song – “Tip Your Bartender” being one of those rage-worthy tracks. The evidentiary cool-crowd-action of the night was holding your hand spread open above your head while opening and closing your fist to the beats. Daryl repeatedly holds the mic to fans mouths to scream the lyrics as he impressively dances in his nut-cracking jeans. The “WOW” factor of the night was during the encore as Beck played guitar, keyboard, and sang background vocals at the same time – quite the feat for any musician. That certainly gained my appreciation of artistry at its finest.
Taking on “You Think You’re (John Fucking Lennon)” prompted a more fan-crazed environment and that kept its consistency for later performances of “Miracles in Inches” and “Stations of the New Cross.”
Overall, this was a whole-hearted rock show, and judging by looks, with all the right people one may expect to be there. Is it wrong to have asked to maybe have heard some Head Automatica though? But seriously, take advantage of the tour that has commenced through the states and check out their website www.glassjaw.com for a show near you. East Coast rejoice, they’re headed your way next.