The Purrs at the High Dive

Just when you thought it was safe to come back here…Seattle week continues! Only by coincidence really, the Purrs were playing down the hill from where I live so it was kind of a no-brainer for me to go to the gig after being smitten by their latest album the Chemistry that Keeps us Together.

The band took the stage to about half the crowd that was there to see the previous band Feral Children. Not sure why people vacated, but it was their loss, because the Purrs put on a clinic on how to rock out. They came off as a lot more garage-y sounding live, kicking it up a notch as that one chef on tv is wont to say. I had a feeling I was going to like the Purrs live before the show even started. As they were setting up, I caught a glimpse of the effects pedal boards of both guitarists. They both had a veritable smörgåsbord of pedals, I would have needed a menu to keep them straight, but these guys have got them down. My prognosis for the show was good (in my book more effects pedals = better show), and I was not disappointed in the least, though my ears are still complaining a little.

Earlier this week I compared the Purrs to the Church and after seeing them live I’d like to reitterate that one, because not only is Jima a bass playing front man, but guitarists Jason Atkin and Jason Milne are like a Marty Wilson-Piper and Peter Koppes duo, expertly playing off of one another and creating a wall of blissful noise that is something to behold. The entire band were solid, exuding a cool confidence with their playing that I rarely see. They hit all of the highlights from the new record, starting the set with a full-throttled version of Waiting for the Asteroid. Frozen in Time, She’s got Chemicals, Junk and Jill and Miles Away all hit the same highs that they do on record. They also threw in three brand new songs, one of which Jima mentioned that the band might get around to recording, but in the meantime we could hear it on his home answering machine. I guess he’s got some kind of They Might Be Giants dial-a-song thing going on over at his place.

Why these guys aren’t signed to a label and way more known than they are is beyond me. For now, I just count myself very lucky to be able to go a few blocks and see a Purrs gig.

I got there just as the Feral Children were beginning their set. This is the second time I’ve seen them and I still can’t say I get these guys. They feature two drummers front and center, one of them that seems to run in place while he hits stuff and sings. They kind of remind me of a Fall incarnation minus Mark E. Smith. Their proggish sound does at times hit a catchy patch, but I think what they’re going for is more of a groove thing. I thought the best song of the night was the opener that showed a restraint that seemed like the band was just itching to blow out of and go into one of their freak outs, but never did.