By Connor Green Jan 23rd 2012

The Handsome Furs show at the Belly Up turned out to be a surprising one.  After making my way to the Belly Up on a rainy Sunday evening, my first surprise was the large crowd buzzing with drinks and small talk. 

My second surprise came when I learned it was the opening band, Snakesuit’s, first ever live performance. They could’ve fooled me. I could hear disparate influences from Joy Division to Modest Mouse to the Bee Gees, but the songs were never derivative.  Their sound was bleak, but dancey with a definite 80s Goth vibe to it. But they managed to strike a balance between the dark synthesizers with clear guitars and falsetto harmonies. 

After Snakesuit’s first show came another much sadder surprise; that it would D/Wolves’ last show. But these local favorites went out with a blast of guitars. They opened with an earnest song that mourned summer’s passing, particularly appropriate for a rainy winter day. The went on to play a unique mix of doo wop and surf pop tinged with the triumphant nerdy longing of bands like Weezer and The Dismemberment Plan. ON of the highlights was “Cougar Run,” a ballad with a wheezing organ and lonely vocals  crooning “Let’s go for a walk down to the park where I first saw you for who you are” and ends up at the chorus,  “You’re gonna be alone for the rest of your life.” Luckily, the song pulls up at the last second and pops into third gear with up tempo guitars narrowly avoiding total despair. 

After the D/Wolves made their way outside (they were too young to be in the bar) the crowd anxiously anticipated everyone’s favorite crazed Canadian duo, Handsome Furs.

They opened with a burst of synthesizers that begin “When I Get Back” and they were off and running. The lyrics told of traveling expatriates, “And what I saw, I saw lightning, I saw cities, planes, and stars I’ve never known.” Autobiographical no doubt, seeing as they were already back in San Diego after only 6 months on another tour. And when Alexi shouts “we never wanna go home” and you can tell she means it.

Onstage they performed amazing calisthenics, like traveling contortionists, twisting to the song “Serve the People” which strikes me as an anthem for the 99% in this time of economic hardship and inequality. The pounding drum machine, raw vocal delivery and high pitched synths are a perfect expression of resistance in the digital age. With lyrics like “And it’s diamonds and gold for the idiot sons \ All the privileged thieves gonna make things run” the song would be the perfect accompaniment to an Occupy Wall St. rally.

But, this wasn’t a protest, it was a party.  Any outrage the crowd had was channeled into their dance moves. Alexi called out compliments, “There’s a good pocket of dancing right over here!” while everyone boogied to the bouncing synths and beating drum machine. It is amazing how much humanity Dan and Alexi wrung out of their soulless electronic machines. By the time the show was done it was as if the whole crowd had been sprayed down with adrenaline.  

In their song “Repatriated” Dan sang “I’ve seen the future and it’s coming in low. I’ve seen the future, I will never be repatriated” and maybe Handsome Furs will always be on the run without a country of their own, but I hope they know that they have a temporary home here. This city loves Handsome Furs.

 

handsomefurs.com