Show: The Dandy Warhols
Date: December 10, 2010
Venue: Club Nokia
City: Los Angeles, CA
The Dandy Warhols
Photos by Nicolas Bates
Written by Nicolas Bates
On December 10th 2010, Club Nokia in Los Angeles welcomed a blast-from-the-past: The Dandy Warhols. This act has had a steady following since their earlier days in the mid-nineties, and there was no shortage of human beings to welcome the Oregonians to Los Angeles. A few younger kids could be spotted, but most patrons seemed they were probably in their mid-twenties in the mid-nineties. Regardless, they were prepared to get down.
The Dandy Warhols commenced their set with “Be In” off of their The Dandy Warhols Come Down release. The crowd reacted amicably; however, it wasn’t until “Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth” came blasting through the PA that people really started groovin’. After The Dandy Warhols finished up “Not If You Were…” lead-vocalist Courtney Taylor-Taylor spoke of his twin Fender Coronado’s, one being a 12-string, to which the crowd genuinely cheered for. Quite soon after, “I Love You, Zia,” was yelled out to percussionist/synth player Zia McCabe. It would not be the last.
The Dandy Warhols have a large catalog of music, and, although most tracks have a very “chill” vibe, some songs got people really moving. As “You Were the Last High” began, a shimmer could be seen in some members of the crowd. Feet began to move, arms began to pump. It was on.
When Courtney Taylor-Taylor began the beginning lyrics of the song “I Love You” (the initial lyrics being of the same 3 words), he was met with a barrage of “Shaows” and “Yeahs” from women and men alike. Courtney Taylor-Taylor really utilized his vocal effects for this song; a mix of airplane-pilot-like muffled mids and reverb.
The Dandy Warhols were poorly lit all night, being doused with heavy, backlit reds and yellows. It’s possible each member of the band was met with a spotlight all of twice through their set. Very well, as that seemed to suit their vibe. Guitarist Peter Holmström hid behind a hat for the entirety of The Dandy Warhols set. His eyes were probably only visible to the first few rows of concert-goers only. Maybe.
The latter half of the set was home to many songs from the album “Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia,” including: “Get Off,” “Horse Pills,” “Bohemian Like You,” and “Godless.”
Towards the end of the set, a female concert-goer reached up to Zia to hand her a necklace to give to Courtney Taylor-Taylor, and Zia put it around his neck on stage. The show was full of a cool nostalgia, a “good ‘ol time” vibe, which is probably a big draw to people in general with The Dandy Warhols’ albums. I don’t think a single person left disappointed that night. I know I didn’t.