A whole lot of Islands going on

So it took me like forever to blog about the Islands show at Disjecta last week-because I already reviewed it for Pitchfork. However, that review was crazy short (and written at 4am) so I'm gonna go into the opening acts and all that here.
This post could have easily been titled "I love me some Islands" as I certainly do! My photo was used to preview them in the Portland Mercury as seen below. I took it last time they were in Portland, which I will eventually blog about in an "On this Day" post.

Subtitle was first to take the stage at Disjecta that Tuesday night, overcoming a burned out laptop to deliver his set via i-pod. Even with a crowd still filling in, he successfully coerced couples into waltzing for a few bars of a track-yes actual waltzing.

Next was Blueprint who elicited a more enthusiastic response having everyone salute him with the middle finger, hold up their cell phone, count aloud, and participate in chants of Maury Povich during different songs made up of his socially aware lyrics.  The highlight of his set came in the form of his rhyming over Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean".  Not only was it one of his stronger numbers, the choruses also induced an audience wide sing-along.

So anyway, they had string holders-yes string holders-seperating the over 21s who chose to drink from the all agers. It looked pretty lame them using a string, as they at least had orange netting at the Islands show in Seattle.

Islands lineup was tres different than the last time they came through town and played at the now closed Loveland. First, the best of the best Jim Guthrie is STILL gone (I thought he was only sitting out their Euro tour) and Nick's girlfriend Kate Perkins wasn't singing (not to mention J'aime Tambeur's expected absence-duh). They also changed their stage positioning-the Chow brothers switching sides with bass-clarinetist Patrick Gregoire.

It was the best I've seen Islands yet! They SO reminded me of Les Savy Fav with their multitude fo props for no reason. They opened with 'Humans' and then swiftly launched into 'Volcanoes'.
There were a few shouts for Patrick (surprisingly not from me haha) and Nick continued to take items from audience members. It was actually funny because he snatched some hipster sunglasses from this one kid (too young to already have an ironic hipster moustache in my opinion) and it turned out to be the same kid he snatched striped sunglasses off last time.

It appears they opened or at least didn't close with 'Swans' at shows on the rest of their tour, but that was their encore for Portland, and a very fitting one at that.

Read my Pitchfork review for more and look at my million photos of the gig

'Where There's a Will There's a Whalebone' Islands MP3

*I totally wanted my Pitchfork review to be the first not to mention the Unicorns as I know Nick hates it and knew he'd read the review. However, the editorial team saw otherwise :) No worries-such a THRILL