Night of the Living Dead (with great music)

For anyone who remembers the heyday of Brit-Pop and longs for its return, you need look no further than The Music and Kasabian show at the 930 Club this past Friday. Both bands put on great sets that should have had the place going crazy. Both bands gave it the gusto with everything clicking into place. Great lights, awesome music and that uniquely British swagger that always combines for a real blast.

But gone are the days of hundreds of brit-pop fans bouncing up and down to Blur, or the crush of girls to tear off a piece of Morissey’s shirt. No more the dancing throng to the Charlatans’ keyboards or swooning to Suede’s crooning. (Unless of course it’s one of these older bands out shaking off the cobwebs, but what about the new bands?)

I don’t know what was up with the crowd at this great show, but hardly anyone was giving the bands their due. Granted, Kasabian are brand new and maybe people were unfamiliar with their music. But so was I, so were the people I was with and we were dancing our asses off. They put on a wonderful high-energy show that would have had the crowd going nuts eight years ago.

The same goes for The Music, who combines pop, rock and guitar wash like nobody’s business. The front rows of the club should have been a swirling vortex of dancing and smiling because their music just evokes such a great sense of joy it is almost impossible not to dance. But somehow the crowd Friday night managed to avoid said fun rug-cutting. As if they had traded their dancing shoes for a magnifying glass to further their navel-gazing endeavors.

Seriously DC, does anyone dance at shows anymore? Doesn’t anyone out there have any passion anymore?

If there are any of you left, let’s all meet up and shake a leg for The Raveonettes when the come to the Black Cat in May or for whoever else happens to come to town between now and then. Otherwise what’s the point in even going?

Originally published on February 21, 2005.