Jack Beauregard, Nias and Retro Stefson at Bii Nuu, August 16, 2012

  it is not rock and roll if you don’t get sweaty

There will be a moment when I get to say I told you so, and it may or may not center around one of the three bands I saw tonight.

This evening saw me and a lucky plus one trying something new: a first come, first served guest list. Part of Intro magazines Introducing series, tonight’ lineup at Bii Nuu (the club under Schlesisches Tor U-bahn Station, club name more easily pronounced than station name) was Hamburg favorite Jack Beauregard, followed by Nias, and ending with a rousing set from Iceland’s own Retro Stefson. I saw the first band open for Gotye at Franz last winter and I knew Retro Stefson from an amazing performance at the 2011 Berlin Music Festival.

Okay, so the first thing with a guest list like this (tickets could not be purchased, you could only sign up online, giving your email address and a plus one) is that lining up outside, in Barbara’s words, is like an Easyjet flight, everyone is eyeing to get in first. We made it in (5^th in the door thank you!) and secured a nice spot right up at the stage.  I have to say while the sound was decent, by midpoint the club felt like dancing inside the sun, but (brace for cliché) the bands were so good I barely noticed awww.

Jack Beauregard

First, Jack Beauregard, who (and this is a flattering comparison) do at points remind me of Pink Floyd if they sang about love and girls instead of space type things.   Three guys that craft pop melodies layered with sweet vocals reminiscent of the kind of love notes and thoughts you scribbled on your English notebook in high school, but not in that saccharine, obnoxious way.  If any of you remember the Philadelphia space pop scene that brought us Mazarin (now defunct) you’ll definitely dig Jack Beuaregard.  Male harmonizing worthy of the latest all male vocal groups (Fleet Foxes, Midlake). 

Nias

Next, Nias, a band I didn’t even know was on the bill until 3 strapping young lads took the stage. I know nothing about them (and later learned they are from the Czech Republic, offshoots of a post core band, this info brought to you direct from the facebook page yes), but musically, I would give the trio the honor of buying the CD. Vocals reminded me of The Walkmen, while the music was mix of early Flaming Lips (like the Punk Rockers are Finally Taking Acid era FL) and the Psychedlic Furs. No kidding, there were some riffs that were obvious synth 80s throwbacks.

Retro Stefson

And finally, my somewhat ancestral Icelandic brethren take the stage like Beowulf taking down Grendel (let no Scandinavian studies Phd be reading this please.)  The best thing seeing an Icelandic band may be the intros, everyone has names that are like 10 syllables long.  7 barely legal musicians: Logi Pedro Stefánsson, Haraldur Ari Stefánsson, Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson, Þórður Jörundsson, Þorbjörg Roach Gunnarsdóttir, Jon Ingvi Seljeseth and Gylfi Freeland Sigurðsson. What the fuck I love Icelandic names! Anyway, it’s a large group of keyboard. drums, girl on digital synth/keyboard, 2 guitars, 1 bass, and Harald, who plays tambourines and the crowd. Now, this band has what rock and roll is lacking, and that is stage presence. That they can rock a crowd as big as the daytime crew at Berlin Festival or as cramped and crowded a teeny show as at Bii Nuu, should encourage ALL bands to get a sexy, dancing tambourine man. The point when he took of his shirt and showed the lovely six pack that I guess Icelandic winters give you, made it all worth it. And let no one ever tell you Northern Europeans can’t dance, because the boy has moves. Retro Stefson owes a lot to the metal and hardcore coming out of that portion of the planet (I know, it is still going very strong).  Over some repetitive and deep beats that reference reggae, pop, electro and smattering of Latin American beats are incoherent lyrics (what a xenophobe says because maybe it’s another language) that worm into your brain, and fill you with the desire to chant back when the band asks that of you (and they ask a lot, we are taught no less than 5 dance moves, and instructed to do them in unison).  So if you want a show that leaves you sweaty, happy, and reaffirmed that the future of rock n roll is being shouldered by young 'uns from a tiny island nation, then follow these guys. Band to watch, band to watch.