by Jacques Testard

Introduction: The idea is quite clearly set out above. I will hereby attempt to bring you an insight into New York City’s cultural happenings, covering just about anything from music to books and art, in the hope that Londoners can thus keep abreast of how New Yorkers are doing it on the other side of the pond. I plan to cover dingy dive-bar gigs, art shows, and major book events, with the odd interview thrown in. Hopefully, what will happen, is that you will end up enlightened or at the very least intrigued by what you may or may not learn here, and this will prompt a visit to the Big Apple ASAP, because it’s definitely up there with London. Or you may just hear about new bands, books, and films before they hit the UK.

A Weekend in Williamsburg

Originally, my plan for this weekend was to cover the Gang Gang Dance gig at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Friday night. Now for those of you who haven’t heard of either, I suppose Williamsburg could adequately be compared to the Brick Lane London scene. It was super trendy about 10 years ago, but has been taken over by a certain idea of ‘cool’ that infuriates the rest of the city.

As for Gang Gang Dance, they are just about the biggest Brooklyn band around these days, and they have to come to epitomise the overwhelming ‘hipster’ scene that is slowly taking over Brooklyn inch by inch. In musical terms they are pretty avant-garde, playing what Rolling Stone described as ‘modern tribal music that seems like it comes from a strange, beautiful, largely imaginary culture.’ They also made a grime-infused tune called ‘Princes’ for their last album Saint Dymphna with London’s very own grime-MC Tinchy Strider.

Anyhow, I knew full well that this gig would be a sell out, and that it would be overrun by bearded and tattooed hipsters, but I was not discouraged. Far from it. I planned to skip the queue (or the line, as they annoyingly call it here, they don’t get it when you speak of queues, they think you’re trying to be all theatrical with them) and therefore requested a press pass in the hope that NFTU’s international fame (and more particularly that of its editors Tristan and Chris) would help me secure myself a free entry into one of the gigs of the year. Sadly, my request was flatly turned down. Sadder still, I nonchalantly turned up on the door of the Music Hall five minutes after the show was due to start, and thus failed to get a ticket all together. What to do?

Well, it’s when you’re desperate that Williamsburg really reveals the full extent of its cultural wonders. On the suggestion of an American friend (sometimes they are great), I wandered a few blocks away to a small venue called Bruar Falls for a free gig involving bands that I had no clue about. It was packed full of local types: a lot of plaid, tight jeans, piercings and facial hair. First up were Keep Away, churning out a distinctly lo-fi sound overridden with slightly nasally droning vocals, surfing on the same tide as Californian band Wavves, with a hint of El Guincho thrown in. Hipsters don’t really dance, they sway from side to side, so it didn’t get too sweaty, and it soon emptied after the first set.

Young Buffalo

Those who left really should have known better – they missed out on Young Buffalo, probably the most naive band I have seen on stage, ever. They are a young trio from Oxford, Mississipi, who play a brand of rock music that would not have been out of place on a mid-nineties teen flick. What they lacked in originality they made up for with an unbelievable eagerness and energy that prompted the beginnings of a mosh pit. Unfortunately, it was difficult to keep a straight face when they hit the chorus chords of each song, because it was all so predictable and they seemed utterly convinced that they were playing excellent music. They were good musicians, granted, but the music they are making now would be perfect to hoover your living room to.

Last up were a band that I have since looked up, local faves Twin Sister, led by a mesmerising girl decked out in a platinum-blue wig, with an eerie voice to go with it. They were truly excellent, playing a dreamy, ghost-like lo-fi sound, with a genuinely haunting stage presence. All in all, not a bad night despite the initial setback. And it was free, which is a rarity in these parts. Check out the bands that I’ve been talking about below, particularly Young Buffalo, as they edge closer to a spot on the American Pie VII soundtrack in the next few years.

Twin Sister

http://www.myspace.com/ganggangdance

http://www.myspace.com/injams (Keep Away)

http://www.myspace.com/youngbuffalo

http://www.myspace.com/twinsisterband