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The Thermals
Victrola
Low Key
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Kilby Court
Salt Lake City, UT
2/02/2005
By: Jason Warner
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I arrived at Kilby Court with my ears already tired. I had just come from my own band practice, but I was excited to get to see The Thermals, a band I have been listening to since before their debut album More Parts Per Million came out on Sub Pop Records. Their sophomore release, Fuckin A came out last May, and they are currently touring around the country in a van with Oregon plates, supporting it.
Also playing tonight were two local bands I had never heard of. The opening act, Low Key, was innocent, and excited, but sorely lacking in performance. The boyfriend and girlfriend duo played drum machine, sequencers, and keyboards, with the occasional guitar riff thrown in, and playfully sung, almost chanted lyrics. The girl admitted on the mic that this was their first show. It showed. There were repeated problems with the drum machine punch-ins, and the girl was a little too nervous… she once started laughing into the mic right during a part she was playing on the melodica. But, taking into account it was their first show, they weren't that bad. Still, I'm rather shocked that the promoter put a band this unknown and unpolished on a bill with The Thermals. I guess that's why I am writing this rather than booking shows.
The second band was Victrola. The levels were so bad for this band that I couldn't stay past the first song. What I heard sounded good, but the drums and bass completely drowned out the vocals and guitar. I realize this is not the fault of the band, but rather the sound guy, but that didn't make it any easier to listen to. The song I did hear featured some sugary female vocals (from what I could hear), and a nice melody. The members of the trio were having fun and it showed. I decided I would like to check out Victrola again, and it so happened they were selling CDs that night. I approached the member of the band selling the CDs, but he couldn't take the time to sell me one. I no longer felt bad for missing their set.
Finally, The Thermals took the stage. Their set-up was rapid, and their set proved to be the same. Tracks from both of their albums came flying from the tiny stage like Chinese throwing stars. The levels were again terrible, but after a while you get used to the fact that you can't get good sound out of bad sound gear. The Thermals were a joy to watch. Bassist Kathy Foster absolutely owned on the bass. She never glanced at her fingering hand all night, and also never played a sour note. The performance revealed a band obviously steeped in practice and rehearsal. The songs came out nearly identical to the album versions, which is a good thing in this case. The drummer, Jordan Hudson, used a very sparse kit consisting of kick drum, snare, hi-hat, one crash, and one ride - and no toms. I don't think he would have had time to hit a tom if it had been there. He looked like a whirling dust devil behind the drum kit, arms and legs flailing at times, and then at other times he looked like a perfectly mannered college student with nice posture, beating away like it was nothing at all. But, he played fast no matter how he looked and it was great fun watching him.
Guitarist and vocalist, Hutch Harris, is the main songwriter for the group. Tonight he belted out his songs like they were his dieing breath. His enthusiasm was contagious and soon the occupants of Kilby Court had caught the fever and were moving to the beat ever so slightly.
The Thermals played nearly every song of both albums, and still only played a total of about 45 minutes. It felt much shorter. Standout tracks were "How We Know," the single from Fuckin A, and "Overblown" from More Parts Per Million, which was also the closing song of the night. The show was intense. They played loud and fast, and more importantly, they played well. I had expected for them to sound sloppy live, due in part I think to the lo-fi quality of their albums (although Fuckin A is quite a bit more-fi than More Parts Per Million). I was surprised to hear them so together, so enthusiastic, and yet not robotic. My attention was riveted to the three Thermals as they practiced their craft for us.
The Thermals are not necessarily reinventing the wheel, but they do find a way to bring genuine energy and excitement to their perfect blend of loud, fast, rock and roll.
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