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The Hotel Cafe was a very nice place to be last Tuesday, as three Dangerbird acts took the red-lighted stage. Starting up at 8pm, and playing the most riveting set of the night, was "the better looking half" of the two-thirds Irish band La Rocca.
Singer/guitarist Bjorn Baillie and bassist Simon Baillie played a handful of mesmerizingly pretty songs, all on their own, taking shots at their missing band members and cracking jokes about their shoes making "Riverdance" sounds on the stage. Bjorn's voice is straight and clear, with just a bit of grit in it at the right moments. Tracks played included "Non Believer" (The Truth), "Senses" (OK Okay), and "Love Under Key" (OK Okay) with its heart-breaking line, "What kind of man did you dream of? Was he making mistakes like I was?" There was a sincerity to the emotion in the songs that was immediately engaging. The band definitely has a touch of Coldplay and U2 in their soaring melodies, but without requiring the listener to be a fan of either to enjoy them. It was a very impressive set.
Next up were Eulogies (pictured above), who played a more upbeat set, with nice energy. It was hard not to bop around a little while they played, solemn as they were onstage. Their sound is sometimes similar to Alkaline Trio's more melodic stuff, although obviously with a less produced sound and with slightly nasal vocals from lanky singer/guitarist Peter Walker, (who makes a striking frontman), closer to that of The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne. Those vocals work well in the chorus of "One Man", which is a great track and which was really fun live. The band also played "Running In The Rain", as well as tracks from the new EP Tempted To Do Nothing, and generally kept up a nice tight sound for the whole set.
The headliner for the night was UK-based singer/songwriter Ed Laurie (pictured), who proved to have a shy, intense presence onstage. His guitar playing consisted of steadily plucked flowing patterns like a classical guitarist, or a bit like Nick Drake, and naturally, his influences on his myspace include fado and Spanish guitar. His vocals occasionally reminded me of Jeff Buckley, although he sings deep and low, because he shares that same haunting melancholy.
One song, "Albert", he explained to the crowd was about Albert Camus, and about how reading The Outsider on a train had changed his life. The dead seriousness of his demeanor was a little somber and heavy (we could have done with a joke or two), but the guitar was beautiful and his set was not overly long for the end of a night that officially started at 7pm. (Openers Benton Paul, I missed you, so I apologize.)
Photos by Amateur Chemist for LAist
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