A decade-plus ago, the many-membered Los Campesinos! broke out of Cardiff with incredible twee-punk energy on debut EP Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (QRO review) and full-length Hold On Now, Youngster… (QRO review). Since then, indie-rock collectives like them (they all go by “Campesinos” as their last name) have gone out of fashion, in favor of folk collectives and solo DJs, they’ve changed more than half of their members, and generally gotten older – and so have all of those who fell in love with “Death To Los Campesinos!”. But the energy is still there, along with a slew of great records since, as the band came back to Brooklyn Bowl (QRO venue review) on Tuesday, July 9th.
At first glance upon entry, the crowd at Brooklyn Bowl seemed to have aged with the band, but that was just because the youngsters not holding on were up front, and the oldsters were holding up at the back [thanks to band/venue for supplying your correspondent with VIP wristband for the side area with the actual bowling lanes, so he didn’t have to slum it with the hoi polloi…]. Singer Gareth (QRO interview, back when) even remarked during the show that there were those there who had been coming to see the band for years – plus those for whom it was the first time, and he seemed to kind of favor the latter, but we all love the young, particularly those whose first experience was your newer albums.
And with six full-lengths under their belts, Los Campesinos! had ample material for the evening. With their last record 2017’s Sick Scenes (QRO review), this wasn’t an album tour, just dubbed, ‘Los Campesinos! Save America’. That meant that the set list could draw from their entire catalog, but it was notable that the main body included only one from Sockets/Youngster, “Knee Deep at ATP”. Yet even for longtime fans [like your correspondent, who saw their second U.S. show ever – QRO live review], pieces like “Romance Is Boring” from the 2010 record of the same name (QRO review) and “By Your Hand” (2011’s Hello Sadness – QRO review) were great sing-alongs early in the set.
Los Campesinos! playing “By Your Hand” live at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY on July 9th, 2019:
Also, while longtime fans may miss former Campesinos like singer/keyboardist Aleks (QRO interview) and bassist Ellen (QRO interview), one has to admit the next generation are great up on stage, whether Kim’s chemistry with her fellow singer & actual brother Gareth, or Matt jumping around so much he injured himself and bled on his white shirt & bass, something Gareth pointed out & asked people to take photos of. Indeed, that was six songs in, after Sadness’ “Songs About Your Girlfriend”, and only that caused them to take a breath. Gareth also later paused to point out the band’s current symbol, two hands together, displayed on the screens above the bowling lanes (instead of the MLB All-Star Game going on that night, because this is a British band…), something else he thought so cool that he wanted people to shoot & post.
Special mention must also be made of Gareth’s introduction to Sick’s “5 Flucloxacillin”, dedicating it to anyone suffering from depression or, “undeniably worse,” hay fever. Leave it to Los Camp to tackle even mental illness with humor.
Los Campesinos! playing “5 Flucloxacillin” live at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY on July 9th, 2019:
There’s also been a balance between Los Campesinos!’s happy and sad songs – but even the sad ones have driving, danceable tones. Indeed, “Hello Sadness” was an anthem, and while Gareth might have introduced “ATP” by saying, “More sad songs,” the crowd gave the oldie (there’s not even an All Tomorrows Parties anymore…) a huge reception. Indeed, Gareth and guitarist Neil sang to each other on the same mike for the number’s closing breakdown – only for the band then to hilariously screw up the outro. Gareth stopped everything, and announced that they’d do the close & outro again, then “straight into” the next song, Romance’s “Straight In at 101”, with its rousing chorus, “We need more post-coital / And less post-rock!”
The back end of the set’s main body showcased how post-Hold songs have become as beloved as the oldest of oldies. Whether that’s “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” from the album of the same name (QRO review), 2013 No Blues (QRO review) single “Avocado, Baby!” and its shout-breakdown, Romance’s epic “The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future” (“But you could never kiss a Tory boy / Without wanting to cut off your tongue again” has never been more true…), or into the encore break Sadness “Baby I Got the Death Rattle” explosion. The crowd chanted “L! C! For! Life!” in the encore break, before the band returned.
“We’re gonna play three songs. Don’t feel obliged to stay. Two of them are popular. The first one is not particularly popular, but we like it. So if you could please overcompensate on our behalf.” And even if Sick’s “Sad Suppers” isn’t their best live song, the audience didn’t let it show. Of course, the crowd was waiting for the band’s big finish, but first LC’s roadie brought out shots for the whole band, because they might be older, but they still drink. And the evening ended with two Youngster classics, “You! Me! Dancing!”, which is still basically the band’s motto, and their forever closer, “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks”, which saw Gareth go into the crowd & the whole band finish with the sing-along.
Los Campesinos! playing “Baby I Got the Death Rattle” live at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY on July 9th, 2019:
It might not be 2007 anymore, and you might be older [your correspondent certainly is…] – or you might have been too young to enjoy Los Campesinos! when they first came around (there were certainly young & pretty fans dancing at the show to make the rest of us feel old). But all ages lined up after the show to meet the band at the merch table, which was a little ironic, since few noticed Gareth there before the show, and Neil & Matt were in the general crowd. Los Campesinos! will always have that exclamation point.
