Erica C. Bowman captured some glorious photos from Friday night’s gig!

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In anticipation of last night’s gig, I had some minor concerns involving the potential conflict between KOC’s intensely intimate tunes and Webster Hall’s size (capacity = 1400). I’ve seen Kings Of Convenience three other times – all of those shows were held at venues less than half as large. Thankfully, I was proved wrong very early into the performance. The sold out crowd was extremely respectful from start to finish. Additionally, Kings Of Convenience’s career spanning set kept all attendees absolutely enraptured. Personal highlights included a blistering take on ‘I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From’, a smile-inducing rendition of ‘I’d Rather Dance With You’ and their charming cover of ‘It’s My Party’. Official TMS Rating: 10/10. Be certain to catch Kings Of Convenience on their North American journey.

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There’s no denying that Teen Dream is my favorite album of the year (thus far). In fact, the current runner-up is not even in the same ballpark. Teen Dream is intimate, seductive and brilliant. Last night’s 75 minute NYC gig (which featured a backdrop consisting of eight diamond shaped pinatas) highlighted all of the aforementioned release alongside a few tracks from their back catalog in addition to a brand new never-before-played tune. ‘Basically, it doesn’t exist’ quipped Victoria Legrand before performing the latter selection. As expected, everything sounded absolutely beautiful. Official TMS Rating: 10/10. Be certain to follow Beach House on Twitter.

More photos, the setlist & a Beach House track AFTER THE JUMP…

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Exquisite! Again. We’re giving away a fabulous Washed Out prize pack!

MP3: Washed Out – Feel It All Around (Toro Y Moi Mix)

Our brilliant guest blogger, Britt Lundborg, attended yesterday’s gig and offers a full report! Sleigh Bells opened for Yeasayer last night at Webster Hall. Crowned with festival and blog buzz, the loudmouth duo stormed the stage and ripped through their catalog in under half an hour. As she bounced and flew across the stage, lead singer Alexis Krauss gradually stripped off. First the leather coat, then the over-sized t-shirt, until finally she was down to basically a bra, leggings and tattoos. And yet, all the while, her page-boy bangs stayed sleek and unharmed. She’s a good-natured terror on-stage and is the perfect embodiment of the blown-out squall produced by her partner in crime, Derek Miller. They opened with their new single, ‘Tell ‘Em’, and by the time they reached their closer, ‘Crown On The Ground’, the crowd was sweaty and stunned. I caught Yeasayer at Music Hall Of Williamsburg earlier in the year when Odd Blood had just dropped. From the sound of last night’s show, Yeasayer has settled into a solid euphoria-inducing groove. Whatever hesitance held them back in February has burnt off, since they swaggered with muscle and style – Chris Keating, campy though he is, has an athletic voice and knows how to charm an audience. He bantered with us, seeming genuinely glad to be on-stage. He even tossed the black-and-white striped drum stick he been tapping against the cymbals high in the air and caught with his eyes and smile on us. No looking back. The rest of the band reflects this self-assurance, though Anand Wilder could look a little less glum. Last night was his birthday too! (On second thought, that could be the cause of his dour mood. Or maybe it was the silly camo jumpsuit he was wearing – it was hot up in there and a jumpsuit is the last thing I would be caught in.) When they closed their one encore with ‘Sunrise’ (off of 2007′s All Hour Cymbals), they projected the power and heat of a band cutting the sky on their way up.

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Our brilliant guest blogger, Jennifer Prestigiacomo, attended last night’s gig and provides the following review. All photos by Alexis Maindrault. Following a DJ set by Alex English, Groove Armada’s new vocalist SaintSaviour took the stage in all of her shiny glory. She’s a mash-up between She-Ra and Punky Brewster – outfitted in a shiny, fringed leotard of armor paired with bright red hightops. GA started the night with their new album’s highly-charged ‘Look Me In The Eye Sister’. SaintSaviour powered through the amazing chorus of the night’s third song ‘Won’t Kneel’ and GA was truly underway. Throughout the night, SaintSaviour punctuated her beautifully deep vocals with wonky dance moves (the kind you do in front of your mirror at home but only SaintSaviour can make look good). It was only till the fourth tune (‘Not Forgotten’) however, that co-founders Andy Cato and Tom Findlay finally got into the ‘groove’ and started some good old fashioned fist pumping. GA did a fine job of mixing old dance pop favorites like ‘Fogma’, ‘Get Down’ (vocals by Mike Daniel), ‘Easy’ and ‘At The River’ with songs from their latest album, Black Light. ‘Superstylin’ capped off a night of pumping electro-pop and reinforced why Groove Armada continues to reign the dance floor – their chameleon-like musicality is timeless. Visit GA on MySpace.

More shots, the setlist & a Groove Armada tune AFTER THE JUMP…

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Another splendid gig! TMS Rating: 9/10. All photos by Santiago Felipe. Later this week, Neon Indian will release a new single on Green Label Sound.

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Our fabulous photographer, Alexis Maindrault, attended last night’s gig and promises us that he danced like a robot from 1984. View all dates on La Roux’s UK journey here. La Roux recently dropped by GMTV.

More pics, the setlist & a La Roux selection AFTER THE JUMP…

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The opening moments of last night’s sensational set included a guest appearance by a man in a straitjacket dangling from the venue’s massive light structure. By the close of the first song (TMS fave: ‘The Walls Are Coming Down’), the unidentified person successfully doffed the outfit & landed safely on stage with the London based collective. It was odd, engaging & most importantly, a fantastic way to begin the final date of their 2009 world trek. As expected, Fanfarlo kept the momentum going for the entirety of their 75 minute performance highlighting the bulk of their debut album (Reservoir) & a handful of new selections. The evening ended with a fabulous cover of Low’s ‘Just Like Christmas’ (featuring Freelance Whales). Brilliant! Official TMS Rating: 9/10. Watch Fanfarlo’s new video for ‘Harold T. Wilkins’ here. In October, Fanfarlo performed at TMS & Sneak Attack Media’s CMJ ’09 Party.

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Brief & brilliant! 8/10. Visit Telepathe on MySpace. Dance Mother‘s out now.

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