A Review of Panda Riot

  So here I am, finally referring to this event in the past tense.  These performances are fleeting.  It's the best of what we have and then it disappears.  It only remains if we as fans keep attending and documenting these performances.  Panda Riot has played in some great small venues, like Darkroom on Chicago Ave, and The Abbey Pub on Elston and Grace.  This was their Empty Bottle debut, and I believe their first as headliner, with BlackMath and Girls as support. Every band in this show was excellent.  I could not bring myself to buy the cassette tape BlackMath had.  It's just too retro.  I haven't used the tape deck in a long time, and I like hearing it in the car, I can only play CDs there.  That said, I wanted to buy a CD, but none was available.  I will write on them later.  At the moment it's all about Panda Riot.  "She Dares All Things" is a nice splash of cold rose water during a summer morning.  It wakes you up, and helps to frame all the little good things that happen to you during the day. I can say that about the song as well the entire album by the same name.  Indeed, I found myself listening while still feeling engaged with the world around me.   Hearing them and seeing them live is just as rewarding.  And also I like rose water. "Marker" stands out to me.  I believe they played it last night.   When Rebecca Scott sings "suddenly I'm happy just to be..." at least that is what it sounded like, I'm kinda drifted towards there.  It's the kind of shoegazer stuff that does not lose you in the clouds.  This is not Cocteau Twins singing in tongues, or the Cranes taking you on a tangent for two minutes before realizing you just missed two minutes of your life figuring out that you don't like what you heard.  Having said that, I must say I love Cocteau Twins and Cranes.  If one is inclined to like said bands then Panda Riot is most certainly for you.  One cannot help the comparison, yet it does not come with the same baggage we have come to tolerate from these other bands that we still love.   Also if you like My Bloody Valentine, don't lament the fact that you didn't go see their soldout show in Chicago, don't lament that Cocteau Twins have broken up.  Panda Riot is right here.  Don't wait until they sell out the Aragon.   Now that I've mentioned all these other bands in relation to Panda Riot, there is one other thing.  In goth clubs there is a certain way people would dance to this.  Cocteau Twins makes people dance so beautifully, elegantly.  Goths just concentrate their ornate movements, slow down their pace.  Panda Riot played in that set would perpetuate the elegance, and make you dance for another 5 minutes that you did not see coming.  A goth club is I think the only type of venue where people would feel inclined to dance to this at all.  It is where people discover the rhythm to make them dance.   

  When all the bands are small, it almost does not matter who plays first.  It can actually work better if you are first in that way.  Still I think it's important to note the progression of this band to being a headliner, even if it seemed poorly attended .  The relationship one has with the recorded songs develops and evolves with each live performance.  I think it's why I like seeing bands over and over again.  Each performance is individual and worthy of it's own praise.  The first time, you don't know even if you are going to like what you hear.  The second time is actually the first time only better, anticipation making all the difference.  Now your attention will not wander.  Hearing it on CD is only one part of liking a band.  

Kaspar-Zig