Bad Veins, New Blood?
Fresh off the release of their four-song EP Outliers, Bad Veins brought their act to the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza Thursday night (June 24). For those not familiar with the band, it’s two guys from Cincinnati, Ben Davis and Sebastien Schultz. Davis is a multi-talented musician/singer/songwriter. He can play the keyboards, the guitar and even the telephone—seriously. Schultz, the drummer, adds the rhythm that holds the melodies together. Heavily synthesized, programmed bass and out-of-phase vocals, they could be any synth-pop indie-band. But Bad Veins avoid this comparison, just barely.
Usually the lights come on when a band first takes the stage. Not the case last night. The Cincinnati rockers quietly took the stage in the dark, and it stayed dark, as they broke into their first song. It took awhile for the boys to warm up, especially Davis. He was immediately overpowered by a high-energy Schultz banging on the tom toms. The bass was noticeably loud, and they don’t even have a bassist (which they could really use)
But as soon as they moved into “Gold and Warm,” a single off of their first album, Bad Veins, they seemed to loosen up. As the crowd sang along, Davis dove into the bridge, practically screaming, “I want to hear your heart beating loud.” Structurally, this is a song you would expect from the Strokes. Lyrically, the music is more reminiscent of a Dashboard break-up album. But for some reason, it’s not annoying. These guys are sincere.
The crowd picked up on this as they transitioned directly into “Crosseyed,” also off of their first album. Heavily synthesized with an orchestral background, this song was a little more difficult for the crowd to get into. The hook wasn’t as obvious, and Davis’ awkward transitions between the guitar and keyboards seemed a distraction. The soft lyrics, “Help me can you help me/I am lost without you,” seemed to float on top of the layered melodies as Schultz toned down his assault on the drum kit.
The band’s lighting, which was poor to begin with, only got worse. It went from dim to seizure-inducing with flashing white lights. These lights continued through “Afraid,” which was clearly a fan favorite. Everyone seemed to be singing, “It’s getting’ kind of late/ I guess you should know/ That if this sun sets/ You won’t get to go/I’m afraid.” The song garnered not only applause but loud cheering from the fairly young crowd.
After a short break, Bad Veins jumped feet first into “Falling Tide,” a song with a much more powerful melody. The guitar was fast-paced and aggressive, and Schultz on the drums kept up the pace. More than any other song of theirs, this one really felt like the Strokes. This was pure synth-pop. Davis’ voice was pitchy (in a good way) and reminiscent of Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand. This was the only song that got the audience moving.
Just before their last song, Davis announced, “This is the biggest room in New York that we’ve ever played.” If nothing else, these guys are honest. Their set isn’t the most impressive. It’s certainly no spectacle. Just two guys working their asses off to put on a show. They’re easy to listen to and the songs are catchy. This is what drew the crowd in, from the very first song. For the last song, “The Lie,” Davis grabbed an instrument not usually found on stage. As he brought out a telephone receiver, his vocals went from fuzzy to fuzzier, as if it was coming straight off vinyl. Like every band, Bad Veins needs at least one gimmick.
Kathryn Bonacorsi