ithinkyoureswell.com: the blog.

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So many of you will have already heard of the ever-popular, über-hyped, Brooklyn-based Vivian Girls, who have begun their tour of the UK promoting their sophomore album Everything Goes Wrong (In the Red, 2009). Friday night I had the pleasure of seeing them perform in the small, but moderately-famous Jericho Tavern (the JT is where, perhaps most notably, Radiohead first performed). After a superb opening by Veronica Falls, the Vivian Girls stepped on stage and played a solid set: a nice mix of songs from their new album and their self-titled debut. They even threw in a beautifully done a capella number with tambourines! (pictured above)

As many of you well know, lo-fi saw a HUGE revival in 2009 (re: Wavves, Times New Viking etc…) and the Vivian Girls were/are no doubt a huge part of the movement. From what I can tell people either love them or are really confused why anyone would like them in the first place (fortunately this was a crowd full of lovers). The whole intense reverb punk-meets-shoegaze sound isn’t for everyone, to be sure. But what was interesting to me about seeing them live for the first time was that a) their music sounded just as good, if not better, live, (except for, unfortunately, one of my favorites “When I’m Gone”–sound guy’s fault I reckon!) and b) despite all of the insane hype they’ve had, they still seemed generally unpretentious and interacted a lot with the crowd.

In fact, they were so sweet that they had baked gingerbread cookies and offered some to the audience! Mmmmmm.

I’m confident that their new album is good enough to propel them further than just the initial lo-fi wave could have done on its own. In any case I know that I, and at least one other person I know, is hoping to catch them again at the end of their UK tour in London at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on Jan 26. Do yourself a favor and make sure to see them if they’re in your neck of the woods anytime soon (see tour dates below).

à bientôt!

Stephanie

Vivian Girls Upcoming Tour Dates:
01/18 Liverpool, England – Korova
01/20 Glasgow, Scotland – Captain Rest
01/21 Newcastle, England – The Cluny
01/22 Leeds, England – Brudenell Social Club
01/23 Norwhich, England – Arts Centre
01/24 Southampton, England – Joiners Arms
01/25 London, England – Upset the Rhythm – Trinity Hall
01/26 London, England – Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen
01/29 Brooklyn, NY – BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
02/04 San Diego, CA – Casbah
02/05 Costa Mesa, CA – Detroit Bar
02/06 Los Angeles, CA – The Smell
02/08 Santa Cruz, CA – Crepe Place
02/09 San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill
02/11 Portland, OR – Holocene
02/12 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore
02/13 Seattle, WA – High Dive
03/08 Boston, MA – Great Scott
03/09 Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa
03/10 Toronto, ON – Wrongbar
03/11 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
03/12 Chicago, IL – Subterranean
03/13 Grinnell, IA – Gardner Lounge/Grinnell College
03/14 Lawrence, KS – Jackpot Music Hall
03/15 Normal, OK – Opolis
03/16 Dallas, TX – Lounge on Elm Street
03/17 Austin, TX – SXSW Festival
03/18 Austin, TX – SXSW Festival
03/19 Austin, TX – SXSW Festival
03/20 Austin, TX – SXSW Festival
03/22 Houston, TX – The Mink
03/23 New Orleans, TX – Circle Bar
03/24 Oxford, MS – Red Star Bar with
03/26 Durham, NC – Duke Coffeehouse
03/27 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar