FROM THE ASHES OF BATTLES...

So... Battles last night. Great great concert!!

We arrived when the doors opened at about nine. I'd never heard of the two warm-up bands P.K.14 and Lava/Ox/Sea. P.K.14 had cancelled and was replaced by a crappy chinese band that everyone but me, seemed to love... 

But Lava/Ox/Sea turned out to be quite an experience. This mix of post-rock, math (-something) and guitar driven instrumental parts really drew me in. It was like attending a Dillinger Escape Plan concert performed by three shy chinese emo guys (this is supposed to be a compliment). You can check them out on youtube: Here

Or you can grab three free mp3 downloads from SmartShanghai.com: Here

It's all from live performances so the quality is pretty bad, but you'll get the idea.

Underneath is a photo of the band. You can't see them, but you can see the venue. It's called The Dream Factory and I love this place (except for the beer prices.)

Enter Battles. Guitarist Dave Konopka (left) and singer/guitarist/keyboard Tyonda Braxton greeting some fans.
I saw Battles last year at Roskilde, but it was cool experiencing them up close. If you look in the left side of the photo underneath, you'll see John Stanier's (former Helmet drummer.., I learned yesterday) characteristic drum setup. He actually stands up when he needs to hit that cymbal. Have a listen at the bands myspace: Here
A great concert and a bruised toe (after an unwelcome mosh-pit) later, we find Simon actually stretching, to hinder soar loins... I'm pretty sure Slash never stretched.

UPDATE: I just received a link from Joey, a nice guy I met at yesterdays concert. He's taken some really cool photos of the event. For an up-close look at what happened, click on THIS LINK. You have to scroll a bit down for the concert pics. Dude with glasses and the Jaguar is from Lava/Ox/Sea...