Andrew Jackson Jihad

The post-punk revival of the last decade was good for a great many things. Having guitar music as a regular fixture of the charts was pretty godamn wonderful; I think we can all agree. However, if there’s one good thing to come from its retreat back into relative obscurity, it’s the fact that guitar music can once again be thrillingly, defiantly weird. Wasn’t that awesome? When music played on a Fender Stratocaster copy didn’t have to be “relatable” in some way shape or form or overly accessible? Now that we’ve got the number one singles out of our collective system, we can have Parquet Courts go on the Jimmy Fallon show and spend the final minute of their performance having a good old fashioned unplanned feedback soaked guitar jam. Because the music itself is counter culture again, and Parquet Courts make it sound so much more thrilling than it has any right to be. That’s their style in the live arena, on edge, at the risk of collapsing at any moment but always with buckets of energy and passion. No two shows of theirs are identical but they are always completely riveting, not just for the possibility of it all falling apart but for the raucous chemistry that the New York City quartet have in spades. There is no one way that guitar music should be but to see Parquet Courts is to see a very strong argument that it should be loose, raw and utterly unique, just like the band themselves. At this point we all know that indie rock is alive and well, to celebrate that fact and see it at its most uncompromising and untamed, one need look no further than a Parquet Courts show.

Well, I think every fan knows what to expect at an AJJ gig, even if they've never been to one. And that's exactly what you get. If you like their music, you'll have a lot of fun. There's not much more to it. Technically speaking they are not the best band in the world (not that they're bad, and obviously what they play doesn't require virtuosity, and that's fine), so in my opinion it all comes down to whether you connect with what they sing or not. I personally had a great time, they are also really friendly and nice, and they make the kind of music you want to be signing the lyrics to with a few hundred strangers, so it's best enjoyed live. The setlist had a good mix between songs from the new album, the songs that you would expect to hear (like both of the "people 2" or "Big Bird") and a few (good) surprises. Even if some of them were 20 seconds long... It was also a good mix of acoustic and electric stuff. Sean Bonnette played a few songs on his own in the middle part of the set (but the band members had to remain on stage as it was impossible for them to find a way out through the crowd). They even played an encore that wasn't planned, cause people were asking for it and were clearly not going to go. The energy of the crowd was amazing, and everyone was really nice to each other, which wasn't really a surprise, since Andrew Jackson Jihad is a band that really knows how to connect with their audience.

Literally the best live show i have ever been too. The crowd was so energetic and excited to finally get a good folk-punk band in the south west and Andrew Jackson Jihad did not dissapoint. The two support acts both prepared us for the main event with Some Sort of Threat's clever lyrics and acoustic shredding and Caves with loud female led punk rock. As Andrew Jackson Jihad started it was very apparent that the crowd was very dedicated with opening "temple grandin". Throughout the show the band need failed to disappoint. There was a huge range of songs from all the albums so there was something for everyone. With Sean's somersault in "do, re and me" and the acoustic section where he showcased the new song "(don't) stop believing" and a new ending to "self-esteem". However, the real magic came with the final song "big bird". Starting with Sean and his guitar and then all of a sudden having the rest of the band come in in an almost orchestral style really was heart-wrenching. That wasn't the end of it though. There was then an acapella section where Sean came off stage and into the crowd where we all sang together and then sat down on the floor with eachother. He then returned to the stage to finish the song as the rest of the band came in. All in all i have to say it really was a magical evening. It exceeded all my expectations and i can't wait for their return in the near future.

The show was great! The crowd was a lot livelier than I expected and they were a joy to watch! I think they sound better live. they sang a lot of new songs, less of their older stuff. Highly recommend.