I showed up halfway through Crown the Cake’s set. First impression: wow, these guys are loud. Their sound was fuzzy, but not overly so, with light Dischordian touches (think Shudder to Think). It struck me as a bit cheeky, but I could dig it. The band members were cloaked in black light as the white backdrop behind them displayed an impressive mix of lo-fi psychedelic visuals. Most bands I see at 529 don’t put as much thought into the visual aspect of their performances, so this was a welcome change. The highlight of the performance: drummer Mitch Martin. Dude was a fuckin’ acrobat.
The Purkinje Shift at 529
The Purkinje Shift’s last performance (also at the 529) was back in November of 2014, opening for Athens’ own Cinemechanica. As such, the anticipation was high; the room itself was one of the most packed I’ve ever seen it. Anyway, whoever was running sound that night, major props — the band sounded fantastic. Truly, one of the better sounding performances I’ve seen there! Their drummer, Lee Corum (formerly of Some Soviet Station), was a pleasure to watch as well. In fact, the chemistry between all three members was remarkable. Dudes have clearly been at this for a while. (You could certainly tell by the age demographics of the audience.)
TPS’s last full release was back in 2012 with Executive Contours, and so they played a set of new stuff they’ve been working on in the meantime. I can certainly say they’ve bolstered the anxiety-racked component of their sound since then. A+ performance.