The 88

Spaceland - September 1, 2009

Live Review by Joe Cortez

Sometimes I am amazed by a band’s inability to breakthrough to mainstream appeal. Take the case of Los Angeles’ own The 88. Here is an ensemble that seemingly has all the makings of a terrifically successful commercial outfit and yet so far they have only been able to garner a respectable, if cult, following throughout its career. Such standing is through no fault of the band though. They seem to have what most struggling acts in this city yearn for: photogenic appeal, a fun stage show and some incredibly catchy songs.

I think what it comes down to is the audience giving them a chance. As I stood among the initially sparse crowd at Spaceland on the first night of their month long residency throughout September, I was taken by the band’s ability to draw in the attendees, most of whom were more interested in their drinks and conversations at first. As the set went on the smattering of empty spaces in the room seemed to vanish and the crowd drew ever closer to the stage.

The set proper began without an intro and went straight into the jams setting a precedence for the night. There was little in the way of between song banter to be had here, preferring instead to let the songs speak for themselves.

The 88 delivered a tight, polished set with highlights coming in the form of several new songs including "Love is the Thing" which was supposedly recorded on an iPhone. That was neither here nor there though as the band plowed through a high energy set that proved to be an ideal showcase for the band's brand of power pop.

There's something charming about singer Keith Slettedahl on stage mannerisms and indeed the entire band's set this night. Slettedahl at times behaved like Chuck Berry as if channeled through David Byrne, bringing a kind of cool rock nerdiness a la Rivers Cuomo, sans the black rimmed glasses. The night ended on a high note with The 88 performing a cover of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging." It was just the right way to go out and a perfect cap to an impressive set.