Future Of The Left at The Rock And Roll Hotel
Generally speaking, when a band releases a live record, it’s because it already has a handful of studio albums under its belt and the members are looking to bring in some quick cash while exerting as little creative effort as possible. So, when Welsh rockers Future Of The Left released the ambitiously premature live album, Last Night I Saved Her From Vampires, last year (little more than a year after the band’s 2007 debut, Curses), the decision raised some eyebrows. Of course, Future Of The Left—which features two members of underappreciated-in-its-time Mclusky—has quickly earned a reputation as an abrasively outspoken band that says what it wants to say and does what it wants to do.
Future Of The Left pairs oft-kilter melodies and razor-wire guitar lines with lyrics ranging from the futility of organized religion to “Colin is a pussy, a very pretty pussy” (from Curses' “Manchasm”). Its new album, Travels With Myself And Another, twists the screws even tighter, with taut, pummeling songs paired with caustic wit. Live, singer-guitarist-keyboardist Andy "Falco" Falkous and bassist Kelson Mathias dole out salty barbs like the playful curmudgeons Statler and Waldorf of The Muppet Show. It’s that sense of brutal honesty that made Last Night such an unexpected success: sure, it has plenty of great songs on it, but it also happens to be one of the funniest comedy albums of 2008.
Openers Uninhabitable Mansions are a new project including two members of former Internet sensations Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The Brooklyn-based sextet peddles mid-tempo, keyboard-driven rock reminiscent of late-’90s Vagrant emo such as The Get Up Kids and The Anniversary. Members of the slight but fervent crowd—primed for the cynicism of the headliners—were cautious and clapped politely while leaving a healthy distance between themselves and the front of the stage.
Once Future Of The Left took the stage, the audience—rather than shout requests—did its best to goad Falkous and Mathias. The pair happily took the bait. The band’s 60-minute-plus set was brisk, culling from both of its studio albums. "Arming Eritrea" and "Chin Music" provided an opening jolt, with Falkous replacing the vitriol of his lyrics with guttural screeching and barking. Though his intensity was offset by jovial banter, it was clear by the ruby-red pigmentation of his face that the songs are no joke. During "Small Bones Small Bodies," Falkous veered dangerously close to the exploding-head scene in the film Scanners. “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You,” meanwhile, took on a potent pre-Halloween significance; its rallying cry inspired the evening’s most fervent fist pumping.
After about a dozen short bursts of frenetic energy, Future Of The Left launched into its standard closer, “Cloak The Dagger,” an uncharacteristically long and messy dirge. What was intended to be an epic conclusion quickly fell apart as Mathias wandered through the crowd and Falkous rearranged Egglestone’s drum kit. Before saying his goodbyes, Falkous suggested the crowd imagine Future Of The Left playing the song they really wanted to hear but hadn’t been played so everyone could go home happy. Later that night, in the comfort of my apartment, “The Hope That House Built” didn’t quite have the same impact.
