BrakesBrakesBrakes & Pela & Electric Soft Parade @ Mercury Lounge: Three Is A Magic Number

It's not very often (in fact, it's almost never) that I attend a gig with intentions of seeing every band on the bill. Last night was the anomaly. With a strong desire to finally encounter BrakesBrakesBrakes in the flesh, a perpetual love for Brooklyn-based Pela, and an intense curiosity to check out one of Thom Yorke's favorite modern bands, Electric Soft Parade, I had no choice but to stay for the entirety of the evening.

Brighton natives, Electric Soft Parade, opened the show with their unique and adoring blend of mid-'90s Britpop and straight-up indie, alongside hints of atmospheric post-rock. For a reference point, attempt to imagine Super Furry Animals, The Strokes, Badly Drawn Boy, Doves and Damon Albarn all trapped in the same room working on a charity single. Good pick, Thom. Learn more about ESP here on the band's MySpace page.

MP3: Electric Soft Parade - If That's The Case, Then I Don't Know

Second on the bill was Pela. The last time I saw the quartet was at their record release show, also at Mercury Lounge, for, Anytown Graffiti, roughly a month and a half ago (review here). The energy that the band brought to Houston Street that evening in April was met, if not surpassed, with last night's remarkable hour-long set. Highlighting the majority of their debut, the sold-out crowd was insatiable, shouting and pleading for the band to keep playing well past their slotted set time (much to the chagrin of BrakesBrakesBrakes' tour manager). The group will be traveling endlessly for the second half of the year. Keep up to date on all things Pela here on their official site.

MP3: Pela - Lonesome Hearts (Cassettes Won't Listen remix)

Closing out the evening was the folk-punk sounds of BrakesBrakesBrakes. It's worth noting that two members of ESP are also in BrakesBrakesBrakes; much kudos to the White brothers for working double duty all tour long! Quite impressive (and presumably exhausting). BrakesBrakesBrakes is a particularly difficult act to describe. For every tongue-in-cheek sixty second (or under) track, the band has an equally exciting selection of full-length tunes ranging in topic from spring chickens to American politics to name-dropping hipsters. Last night's set was the perfect combination of the band's debut LP, Give Blood, and their sophomore release, The Beatific Visions. For some reason, I am eager to describe BrakesBrakesBrakes as a sort of unmasked version of (my beloved) Clinic, if the Liverpool rockers removed their surgical outfits, threw on a pair of jeans and picked up an acoustic guitar. Both bands achieve the rare feat of perfected randomness. Learn more about BBB here on their label (World's Fair)'s site. Setlist & MP3 below.

Setlist: Hi How Are You?/Hold Me In The River/Margarita/Ring A Ding Ding/On Your Side/Spring Chicken/Pick Up The Phone/I Can't Stand/Cheney (x2)/All Night Disco/Shut Us Down/What's In It For Me?/Beatific Visions/Cease + Desist/Porcupine Or Pineapple/NY Pie/No Return/Jackson/Huevos Rancheros (x2)

MP3: BrakesBrakesBrakes - Ring A Ding Ding