To state the obvious, The Teenagers are really French. I usually describe The Teenagers as a cruder, French version of Art Brut, another band that features spoken words instead of actual vocals. If you've listened to any of The Teenagers' music, you've probably found that they are not very serious. Well, The Teenagers didn't start out as a real band; they formed as a joke. They wrote a song based on the comments on their MySpace, and a label thought they were good enough to sign on. Note to self: Create fake band and become indie-famous.
I had watched enough youTube videos to know what to expect from the live show: three French guys playing absurd songs. Dorian on guitar and Michael on bass, both completely stoic and expressionless. Quentin, swinging his hips around as he spoke the lines. They could only get away with it because they were French. And we were les Américains.
It was obvious by this Bowery Ballroom show that The Teenagers have a huge female fanbase. Maybe it's the band's French charm, but there were definitely more crazy girls than I'm used to seeing. For the performance of "Homecoming," Quentin (lead singer/speaker) invited a gaggle of overexcited girls onto the stage. Some of them may have refused to let go to Quentin's hand after he helped them onto the stage. I know that "Homecoming" is a joke song, but I would never publicly perform the female part of that song in front of hundreds of strangers. Although the song is meant to be ironic, there is still something degrading about it (If you've listened to the song, you would know what I'm talking about). But, the girls looked like they had fun, so I guess I won't judge...too much.
Out of set, my favorite was "Starlett Johansson," probably because that's my favorite song overall. My friend was reading the setlist and told me that they were playing "Starlett" next. So, being the smart person that I am, I started yelling out, "Starlett! Starlett!" Quentin turned to me and said, "You want Starlett? Then you will have it." Or something to that extent. Also, my friend and I talked to Dorian after the show. It turns out that Dorian is Korean-French! No wonder he's so cool.
Setlist
Feeling Better
Fuck Nicole
Love No
III
Starlett Johansson
Trouble
French Kiss
Make It Happen
Homecoming
Streets of Paris
Starlett Johansson - The Teenagers
Love No - The Teenagers
May 6, 2008
The Teenagers - Bowery Ballroom 05.05.08
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3 comments:
Waiting for the post... slash.. do you get paid to have that ad on the sidebar of your blog? Or do I have that too and I'm just stupid?
You mean like what we were giong to do? Create a joke band and then become wildly successful?
Hah awesome post, looks like a really good gig as well!
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