Saturday night marked my first visit to the newly opened Rough Trade record store/music venue in Brooklyn. It didn’t disappoint at all. The record store is a dream for music lovers, and the music venue that accompanies the shop is almost too good to be true. It’s an intimate spot that may fit somewhere between 250-300 people. For comparisons sake its somewhere in between Mercury Lounge and Bowery.
Television was the first band that I would catch at the new venue, which is crazy. Couldn’t really think of a much cooler band to see there first that the highly influential New York City band. The crowd, which was largely filled of with an older, male audience, was red-hot with anticipation.
Gambles, a singer-songwriter from New York, started the night with a fairly impressive set. His brand of folk-rock was comparable to the likes of Bright Eyes, as he pronounced each and every word that he sang as if he was hanging onto it for dear life. He did his best to get the crowd involved, even coming down to perform tracks in the middle of the audience, such as a risky cover of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.” A bold move for sure, but a well received one. He finished his set with a lovely duet with his girlfriend, a track called “Animal” off of his debut album, Trust. It was a impressive track that really showed me quite a bit. There’s a lot of potential to be found within Gambles, don’t let him off your radar.
What is there to be said about Television that hasn’t already been said? I accidentally discovered Marquee Moon a few years ago while browsing a music forum, and thank god I did. The album is as close as you really can come to perfection. It’s influence has been felt throughout music since. It was a bit surreal to believe I was able to catch the band live, especially in such an intimate setting. But here I was, and they didn’t disappoint.
As you may or may not know, Richard Lloyd is not in the current live line-up as he’s replaced by guitarist Jimmy Rip, who helps play with Tom Verlaine’s solo live-band. He filled in just fine, and although the band may show their age at times, they still tore it up. It was amazing to hear all the classic tracks live. Whether it was “Prove It”, “Venus”, “See No Evil”, or the landmark track “Marquee Moon,” the crowd was going nuts. Everyone in attendance treasured how lucky they were to hear these songs live. The severity of the occasion wasn’t lost on everyone.
Television may be up their in age, but they wrote timeless tunes that many bands can only wish of writing. I’m quite lucky to have been able to catch these guys, and I hope someday you guys can as well.
Find photos of both Television & Gambles below, along with Television’s setlist.
Setlist:
1. Venus
2. Elevation
3. 1880 or So
4. Little Johnny Jewel
5. Prove It
6. Dog
7. See No Evil
8. Persia
9. I’m Gonna Find You
10. Marquee Moon
Encore:
11. The Sea
12. Psychotic Reaction (Count Five cover)
Television:
Gambles:
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