With all due respect to Mad Planet, it’s curious that celebrated San Francisco noise-rockers Deerhoof don’t seem to get the same kind of bookings as their turn-of-the-millennium contemporaries. With nearly 20 albums under their belt, the latest being this April’s The Magic, plus countless singles and EPs, you’d expect them to be playing Turner or, with the right promotion, the Pabst, but that isn’t the case aside from rare opening appearances. Whatever the reasons for it, though, it’s actually a boon to their loyal underground following, who, after all these years, still get to enjoy intimate performances like this one.
Getting the evening underway was Chicago group The Blisters, whose description, fairly or not, will probably forever be preceded by the factoid that Jeff Tweedy’s son plays drums. Based on its own merits, though, and not chance Wilco connections, their music is rather generic, although the exact style it’s a generic example of shifts subtly from song to song, from '90s-style slacker alternative to twangy Americana to somewhat rougher garage rock. While a little lightweight, their sound is pleasant enough in a passing sort of way, but given they’re barely out of their teens, they’ve still got time to develop.
Next up was the Philadelphia-based Blank Spell, who raised the energy level in the room significantly, although it didn’t hurt that people were also beginning to show up in earnest and the club had now filled out considerably. Their pummeling sound hinges on classic hardcore fundamentals, full of speedy drum fills and shouted vocals, but with the help of some heavy guitar and bass processing, often veers closer to the darker, more aggressive end of post-punk, recalling Killing Joke in spirit if not execution. This may have been their Milwaukee debut, but their set seemed to leave a conspicuous mark.
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As the headliners took Mad Planet’s small stage, excitement was running fairly high, and with good reason, since their live shows tend to be raw and musically chaotic, like every song might run off the rails at any moment. In addition to selections from The Magic and assorted fan favorites, such as “We Do Parties,” the show offered up plenty of intense and humorous turns, although the most memorable was probably a surprising and largely straight-faced rendition of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” By now, Deerhoof could probably be playing bigger venues, but bigger is not always better.
