Live DC: Apes / Food For Animals / Kid Congo Powers @ The Cat

March 3, 2008 by Patrick  Send to a Friend

all photos: Joel Didriksen

I was sitting in one of those big couches at Black Cat when something funky came wafting my way. The passed out dude next to me was emitting a noxious strain of “sleeping gas.” I cursed my rotten luck, as I had just gotten comfortable. But the longer I waited around for the smell to clear, the stronger it got.

Thankfully, I was forced to leave my seat when Food for Animals came marching onto the stage and demanded that everyone move to the front. I had last seen them perform at a Gold Leaf party, but their set had been interrupted by a visit from the Feds (more specifically DCPD, ATF and a representative from the ABC Board). On this particular Friday, however, Food for Animals were allowed to be their usual glitchy and eccentric selves without police interruption. While their set was enjoyable, the sound was a bit off. Anytime Vulture V or Hy stepped to the mic, their words were lost in a sea of reverb. Funny thing is, that it actually sounded a lot better in the middle or the back of the room. Sound gremlins aside, they did a good job of keeping everyone’s attention, though it woulda been nice if more people danced.

Next came the immaculately dressed Kid Congo Powers. Apparently, the man is writing an autobiography, because he started his set by reading a charming little anecdote about going Disneyland with a scantily clad Siouxie Sioux in the early 80s. Judging from all the rustling and talking in the crowd, I could tell that people wanted less talk more rock. But I enjoyed it; I’ve always been a sucker for rock and roll war stories.

After the spoken word detour, it was all business. With the help of his friend Arthur Noll and a pristine white Macbook, Kid delivered an energetic and danceable 45 minute set. For those of you who don’t know, this gentleman was not only a founding member of The Gun Club, but also lent his talents to the Cramps and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. As he wailed away on a beat up Fender Stratocaster, I could hear echoes of all his previous musical endeavors. You know, it’s really a wonder that young guitarists haven’t tried to rip off his sound. I suppose everyone’s too busy trying to sound like Andy Gill or Will Sergeant, myself included.

Finally The Apes came out to celebrate the release of their new record, Ghost Games. And good Lord, they were loud. It’s always a bit of head rush when you see a band playing at such high volumes. And while I was wearing earplugs, the keyboards were still a bit shrill, and the drums tended to be overpowering. This is not a criticism of the band’s performance; they were incredibly tight, and had fantastic stage presence, but I did feel that the excessive volume did take away from the performance at times. Maybe I’m too picky. But who cared? It was a record release/end of tour show! Keyboardist Amanda Kleinman mentioned plans for an after party, and a massive cheer came from the mob on the right side of the stage. I would’ve liked to attend, but I was in the mood for a 7-11 hot dog. Not very rock and roll, but I hadn’t eaten all day. It’s a shame I didn’t stick around, cuz I kinda wanted to talk to the singer about where he does his shopping. I really liked the green windbreaker he was rockin’ at the beginning of the set.

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