HELPING ALICE PRACTICE: CRYSTAL CASTLES @ STUDIO B

I wasn't planning on going to see Crystal Castles last night. In my head I was telling myself that I had to work at 8 am, and I had school after that, and I had gotten 2 hours of sleep the night before. But being the NME slave that I am and being the NME darlings that they are, I just. couldn't. help it. I had only heard a few of their songs before, but their live show was supposed to be incredible, so I couldn't resist the urge to find out what the hype was all about.
They were playing at Studio B in Brooklyn so it was essential that I bring someone along to make sure I didn't get lost on the way home and end up sleeping in the subway. So when my lovely friend and music fiend Alex asked me if I wanted to go, I threw caution and responsibility to the wind and said yes. We didn't have tickets (natch) and advance tickets were sold out so we had to get there at 8 so we could be there when door tickets went on sale. When we got there the line was already super long. We were worried we might not get in, but we hunkered down anyways and waited. And waited. In the freezing cold. But after awhile the line started moving and we made it into the venue.
I would like to take this opportunity to tell the world just how much I love Studio B. True, its a little out of the way, and in an uninhabited area of buildings, but that kind of makes it more adventure like. The inside of this converted warehouse mixes just the right amount of comfort and industrial aesthetic. The floors are cement, and the accents are all chrome and metal, but if you go up the second floor candlelit lounge area, you can find the most comfortable couches known to man. Perfect for resting....or canoodling. Dual usage. Efficacy people, thats what Studio B is all about.
Anyways, we got in as the first band, Esque, was playing. They were kind of a Joy Division rip off. But with futuristic synth stuff added in. I thought they had the potential to be good, but they fell into a trap that I think a lot of bands without much experience fall into. They were all playing their separate instruments and there was no cohesion. But I think they have promise. They just need more practice.
While this band was playing my friend Alex and I met these two guys. One of them had one of those FREE PETE Pete Doherty t-shirts. And his name was Pete. Considering my near creepy obsession with P. Doh, we became fast friends. Before Health came on, the four of us went outside to smoke and talk about our love of Britpop, and we formed a little Studio B family.
We got back inside just as Health was starting their set. We were down on the floor but not quite into the dancing pit area. I don't know a single Health song. I only knew of them from their Crimewave collaboration with Crystal Castles. but I do know that they inspired a pretty crazy dance party with their insane beats and extreme energy onstage. It was a mix of noise rock and dance and they fit perfectly on the bill with Crystal Castles. They would start out with a shitstorm of random keys and drums and then it would sort of settle down and everyone thought the song was over. But then all of a sudden, it would start up again and catch you off guard, but in a good way.
As Crystal Castles took the stage, we were all standing together. But the minute they started playing, I was swept away in the sea of the sweltering crowd. I tried to put my arms up to dance, but I soon realized this was not a good idea. The second I did so I received several elbows on all parts of my torso, so I assumed a dancing position where I was sort of hugging myself and jumping around.
This band be crazy. This boy-girl duo operate with the guy in the back making all the out of this world noises that sound like they popped out of an 80s video game, and the girl in the front doing these whispery, growly type vocals. Their set was kind of like one long song. I'm sure they played Alice Practice, and I'm sure they played Air Wars, but the crowd was so chaotic that I could barely tell. Half of me was ecstatically enjoying the music, and the other half was fearing for my life. The crowd wasn't really violent per se, but it definitely felt dangerous. It was like this band was so amazing that everyone wanted to dance as fast and hard as they could, which resulted in a rather wild group of people. The lead singer girl was really something else. She was a maniac onstage. I seriously thought that her eyes were red at one point, and I had to go look up pictures of the show to make sure that they were, in fact, blue. Today I found out that she had just got into a car a
ccident and had broken ribs! Like what? Granted they have postponed most of their future dates so she can recoup, but she showed no signs of needing time off. Somehow, although I totally wasn't trying to, I got propelled to almost the very front. Despite what you'd think, it was a little safer in the front, because everyone is so squished against each other that there is no room to fall. Although I was without a camera (again) I got some kind of cool pics of the singer (who goes by Alice from what little info I can get on the duo) that I think captured the spirit of the night.





After the show it was already almost 1am, so I sprinted to the coat check and found Alex by miracle. Unfortunately we lost the other two guys we met, but such is life. We stumbled out onto the street and started our long trek back. As I woke up this morning at 8:23, feeling like I had fallen down a flight of stairs with three missed calls from my work wondering where I was, I thought to myself: that was SO worth it.