Heartbreaking Bravery

It only took about four months to elapse and required some serious legwork but Watch This will be resuming its regular format now and it’s regular pace on Sunday. Below are five live clips from last week that stood out. From old standbys to exciting new bands, each and every one of these takes is worth seeing. All five represent the absolute pinnacle of what can be accomplished with instruments, microphones, a camera, and some tasteful editing. So, enough with the lead-in, it’s time to sit back, turn the volume up, pour a drink, dim the lights, and Watch This.

1. Cymbals Eat Guitar (KEXP)

LOSE was easily one of last year’s best records and Cymbals Eat Guitars’ finest moment to date. Tackling sensitive topics with enough verve and vulnerability to make most acoustic singer/songwriters blush, the band created something that landed with enough force that it’s repercussions are still reverberating nearly halfway into this year. In the live setting, the band sinks its teeth into those songs with enough bleary-eyed fervor that it occasionally elevates their impact. KEXP recently turned their lenses on the band as they glided through a scorching set that fully demonstrated LOSE‘s formidable magnitude.

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2. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires – Sweet Disorder (Jam in the Van)

Back in October, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires played their hearts out to less than twenty people in a small Milwaukee bar. It was one of the most impassioned sets that I’ve seen in the past few years and the band delivers that trademark intensity to Jam in the Van for what’s currently that series’ best session of 2015. All manic energy, grit, and relentless determination, the band turns in an absolute monster live take of “Sweet Disorder” that could convert more than a few people on its own.

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3. Nots – Reactor (BreakThruRadio)

Nots’ self-titled full-length for Goner Records last year was one of the strongest moments of 2014 for the legendary punk label. Ever since that release, the band’s been touring at a reckless pace and honing their live show- something that’s easily evidenced in yet another outstanding BTR live clip. “Reactor” is one of the band’s best songs and the band injects it with a self-possessed fury that accelerates the song into a whirlwind of near-chaos that suits Nots’ aesthetic to perfection.

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4. A Place To Bury Strangers – We’ve Come So Far (KEXP)

I’m not sure KEXP has a hosted an individual performance that’s as singularly vicious as A Place To Bury Strangers’ recent run-through of “We’ve Come So Far”, which goes so far beyond the memorable stage antics that helps transform this into one of the station’s most visually stunning offerings in some time. Light projections, noise solos, and a flood light that’s wielded as both a slide and as a weapon go a long way in making this version of “We’ve Come So Far” stick but what really gives the performance its teeth is the way every band member seems to forget their surroundings and just lay into their respectable roles in a way that indicates this is less of a performance and more of a deranged, otherworldly ritual.

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5. The Districts (Out of Town Films) 

While The Districts recorded output hasn’t quite gripped me like I’ve expected, in a live setting the band’s an entirely different beast. Here, lovingly filmed by the excellent Out of Town Films, they deliver a scorcher of set that more than backs up the band’s considerable buzz. Stunning cinematography and a killer set of songs take this to the realms of a near-classic document of an exciting young band. Only growing stronger as they go, The Districts (and Out of Town Films) turn in a vital reminder of their sizable strengths. Don’t let this one slide by quietly.