"I dunno man, that show was weird. I was really tired. We had to play at like 1 a.m., after everyone else had already played."
That's all Mind Spiders bassist Daniel Fried would tell me about the Denton, Texas outfit's recent performance at Austin's SXSW Festival. I knew he was downplaying it, since A.V. Club music editor Steven Hyden had already gushingly tweeted about the gig. Between that endorsement and the heap of positive reviews for Meltdown, the band's new LP on Dirtnap Records, the buzz was becoming too deafening to ignore. A free performance at Landlocked Music on Monday evening saw the Texans showing that they deserve the hype.
On record, the ghost of Jay Reatard is omnipresent - it's too easy to imagine long songwriting sessions for Mind Spiders albums taking place directly after spinning Blood Visions. Live, the palette of influences feels greatly expanded, and more importantly, the band comes off like one that has forged a unique identity. Songs like "You Are Dead" and "Wait for Us" saw the band nod to classic acts like Ramones and The Clash while still incorporating enormous pedalboards and Wakeman-prog keys.
Even without the second drummer that appears on Meltdown, the sound coming out of the corner of Landlocked where Mind Spiders play their set is massive, assaulting the audience in huge swells but never ceasing to be inviting. That's thanks to the hooks that fill every corner of every song, which despite more often than not being a single repeated phrase, are insanely infectious.
It's tough to talk about stage presence when the show is essentially five dudes and all their gear in a space where two people can comfortably browse vinyls, but Mind Spiders manage to make it work for them. The 35 minute set goes by too quickly, but the hope of seeing Mind Spiders in a venue meant for a concert made their ripping set in a venue absolutely not meant for one even more awesome. See you dudes at the Bishop soon, hopefully.
Complete setlist:
Play You Out
Worlds Destroyed
Mind Spiders Theme
You Are Dead
Beat
Don't Let Her Go
Going Away Tonight
No Romance
On the Radio
Upside Down
Wait for Us
Monk Chant
Go!
Post by Brad Sanders; photo by Steven Arroyo
