Murder City Devils, Cursive & All About Evil

This was quite a day for The Bottom of the Hill, which hosted two sold out shows for the Murder City Devils. For those who haven't been there, the Bottom of the Hill is small (around the size of Duffy's) with a stage approximately three times larger. The first show was an all ages event that started at 4:30 PM. I didn't go to this one, but in talking to the fans that stayed for the second and having knowledge of MCD and I heard it was good.

The second show started promptly at 10 PM with All About Evil. In my opinion they shouldn't of opened for MCD — they don't appeal to the same audience and the audience wasn't even that into them. Over half of the club was outside taking a "smoke break" while they played. I heard this was their first time playing a show, but I still don't think that is a good excuse. The vocals were weak for a band that claims to be "all about evil" and I too found myself outside with the others.

Cursive was next to play, a four-piece band from Omaha, Nebraska. Their overall musical sound was pretty good and consisted of two guitars / vocals, bass and drums. I almost bought their CD but went with a MCD T-shirt instead. Most of the audience came back in for their music and seemed unsure how to take this group of highly energetic hip-thrusting guys. (They reminded me of the movie Whiteboys, where some guys from Idaho try really hard to be like Snoop Dog, except this is about rock and they are from Omaha.) With a little work on their backwoods stage presence I think they could be a good live band. The lead vocalist had a style similar to Robert Smith of the Cure, but heavier. And the instrumentation hinted on the edge of Fugazi, and with all of this working for them, I am definitely interested in seeing what their future holds.

As the Murder City Devils gathered on stage I could tell they had already had a long day of drinking and rocking. Spencer held a glassy eyed stare out into the crowd as Leslie started their performance off by playing the intro of "Press Gang" on her spine tingling organ. The crowd went nuts and from then on it was an incredible show. They continued to play an unbelievable sixteen-song set, which included a compilation of ten cuts that they have previously released on Empty Bottles and Broken Hearts, In Name And Blood, and Murder City Devils.

They played favorites like: "18 Wheels," "Dance Hall Music," "Dear Hearts," and of course "Rum to Whiskey." The other six songs were brand new and included the titles "Midnight Service," "Grace That Saves," and "That's What You Get." The Murder City Devils are going back to the studio in May to record their next album — so watch out because they will strike again soon. If you're into solid rock n' roll you should check out the Murder City Devils. I'd recommend advance tickets because this show was sold out weeks ago.

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