The Lovemakers

Bordello Bar - March 17, 2009

Live Review by Amber Henson

I hate awkward things.  I can’t deal with the UK version of The Office even though I have been told it’s the funnier of the two (like I would care anyway, Jim and Pam mean the world to me).  I start to desperately scratch at my own skin when stuck in an awkward conversation (hey, friend’s parents-please don’t argue about your debt in front of me).  And when put in an awkward situation, I start talking so much and so quickly that I’m pretty sure I get to a pitch that only dogs can hear.

So imagine my dismay when I showed up at the Bordello Bar (which can hold probably 200) this St. Patrick’s Day to maybe fifteen people.  Including my ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend.  And me with my new boyfriend in tow.  Not only was I totally embarrassed for the band, who did not get promoted properly, but I had to deal with unexpected visiting time with the ex.  The only solution: start drinking.  So I did.

But it turned out not to be necessary (besides the fact it was St. Patrick’s Day).  The whole ex thing is so old it didn’t matter.  And The Lovemakers, all three of them (their recently seen guitarist/keyboardist named Brandon was nowhere to be seen, and I wasn’t about to casually ask) put on an AMAZING show.  It helped that the (eventually) twenty people in the audience were totally into it.  But Light and Blonde don’t know how to not put all their energy into the show.  Light was off the stage for much of the show, sexually harassing the audience, and we loved it.  Blonde never took off his shirt, something of a trademark, but at least he took off his jacket.  After a short set (less than forty minutes) the small crowd was able to convince them to get back on stage for a couple more songs.  Their new stuff sounded great (their next album comes out late this summer), a lot more happy-go-lucky than their most recent EP, as if they got in a time machine and went back to study upbeat singers of the '60s.

I loved every second of it, even though I was hot (the only green thing I own is a jacket) and had to do crazy dancing in front of the ex.  With only a few people around to dance with.  That’s how good The Lovemakers are.  They’ll take your mind off everything around you.