BrightestYoungThings: Live DC: Autolux @ Black Cat brought to you by Moldex Ear Plugs

HEY EVERYBODY GUESS WHAT, BYT SELLS OUT TOMORROW.

all words: Katie Glanz

all photos: Mike Danko

This morning I had my i phone on full volume…it wasn’t loud enough, I can’t actually hear today. I’m not really sure if this hearing loss is permanent, but Wednesday night’s HEAVY show might have been worth it. I have to admit, I didn’t expect to love Autolux, given that I’m not the biggest fan of shoegaze-indie rock. That said, I was impressed with Wednesday night’s intensity.

The opener, Gold Panda, an electronic dubstep act from the UK, was “pretty sick,” in the words of Autolux drummer/vocalist Carla Azar. Towards the end of his set, Panda played “You,” a simple and beautiful track that I would really like to hear at 1:00 am in the dark cavernous bass-space of U Street Music Hall (a more appropriate place and time than at 9:00 pm at Black Cat, on a Wednesday night.) Perhaps on your next visit to DC Gold Panda? Be on the look out for his new album, Lucky Shiner, which is set to be released this October.

My initial fears of being subjected to a two hour set of mediocre 90’s throw-back noise rock were apparently completely unfounded. Autolux is a band you want to see live. Their specific kind of wall-of-sound layered reverberation cannot fully be appreciated when listening to a recording. Hearing “Turnstile Blues” on Grooveshark vs. hearing it live…yeah big difference. Carla’s solid drumming carried that song, and Eugene Goreshter’s sweet vocals and Greg Edwards’ effortless feedback echoes were perfect and LOUD.

The band’s rendition of “Blanket,” lifted the crowd into a grungy and distorted heavenly state.

For the encore Autolux started out with “Census,” a song from their recently released album Transit Transit, and I had a flashback ---to my Dad force feeding me Sonic Youth, as a child--how awesome.

Autolux’s set was short and sweet, about an hour and fifteen including the encore, but like Goreshter said, it was a “school night.”

I would like to be able to hear again…Damn it all to hell that I forgot earplugs.