Live Review – The Scientists, New York 2010
News posted Friday, September 10 2010 at 10:00 AM.
Related: Scientists.
The Scientists
Kutsher’s Country Club, New York
Friday, September 4
For one night only, upstate New York became swampland. Literally. The boating lake at the shabby, smelly Kutsher's Country Club resort, where All Tomorrow’s Parties New York is being hosted, is a mass of weeds and algae. The room here is big (think Melbourne’s Hi-Fi), and must’ve been pretty snazzy in its day. Now, though, it’s seat-less and battered, crowded with fans, and feels like the perfect spot to host The Scientists' first ever US gig. (Hipster Brooklyn was awash with rumours that The Scientists or The Surrealists would be playing a secret show there in the days following the festival, but work permits meant it was never going to happen.)
It must be a big ask to open a festival like this, with Mudhoney and The Stooges to follow, but they seemed comfortable on the main stage. Lit in green and purple, with smoke swirling from the back of the stage, they play all six tracks of 1983’s Blood Red River perfectly. It sounds as fresh as ever. Most importantly, everyone in the band seems happy. Boris Sujdovic is still massive and impassive, Leanne Chock keeps everything nailed down from the back, and Kim Salmom and Tony Thewlis track each other perfectly. After ‘Fate Deals It’s Mortal Blow’, they swing straight into 'Swampland', which gets extended to about three times its normal length, with the guitar break dragged out. It’s fucked-up and perfect. Later in the set, during ‘Backwards Man’, Kim puts down his guitar and clings to the mic stand howling, while Tony attacks his strings with an empty Jamesons bottle.
Having already run into Jim Jarmusch and Lee Ranaldo earlier in the afternoon, I'm not surprised to see Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore with kids in tow, digging it from side of stage.
There are no covers played, which is a it of a shame. I would've liked to hear them hit Suicide's 'Magdalena' here. But by the end of the set, they’ve lived up to the hype in the festival guide, astonished a bunch of youngsters, and confirmed their legendary status.
by Trevor Block
(Photo by Jason Persse)
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Dang. Sounds like an amazing night.
jealous
Nice one,
which is a it of a shame
might wanna fix that
i wanna listen to human jukebox now but i think it is in storage. spewin.
---v
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9q-0OlqBjI
aw man that is really working for me. thanks jp.
I've never seen that clip before
mental metal
another cut from that record
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnRVJ63fR5Y
Atom Bomb Baby
Hey Block, was Ryan going mental at the show?
Would have loved to have seen his face during the show.
Hug him for me if you can.
Also jealous.
PS Alan Vega's 'Magdalena'.
Still can't believe I had to cancel my trip, otherwise I would have been there.
Just finished listening to their set here http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/37200
Announcers at the end claiming that the Scientists hadn't played in twenty years and didn't rehearse before the show was pretty entertaining too.
damn. seeing them at the annandale a couple of years ago now pales.
block, you are a lucky lucky man - and this was just the opening act of the night!
damn. again.
i'd actually rather see them at the annandale (and did, although i was too pissed to remember much)
and i reckon their set at the enmore for that sonic youth thing was pretty unbeatable
Yep.
It was the opening of the entire weekend! Though to be fair, things did peak a bit early for me.
that tends to happen to we gents of a certain age, blocker.
Well, kinda. Certainly Thurston, Byron and I took it easy for the rest of the weekend. Apart from trivia shenanigans, and size 14 sneaker hijinks, and golf-cart drag racing, and... oh, stuff.
well played, sir.
mmm Salmom...
No wonder Brooklyn hipsters were digging it - they get listed in 'Losing My Edge'
Intense jealousy. I haz it.
Photos on Flickr Scientists 2010-09-03 at ATP Festival Monticello, NY
Awesome photos, 96tears.
...and nice username :)
BTW, Leanne = hottt
Massively jealous, I shoulda gone to this one. Great photos too.
Travelled from Brisbane for their Don't Look Back Blood Red River show with Sonic Youth doing Daydream Nation - one of the best gigs of my life.
nice read trevor, hope you made it home safely