mehan jayasuriya

This past weekend, I saw two shows that, in some ways, felt like polar opposites. On Friday night, I headed down to the Rock and Roll Hotel to catch Cold Cave. The band was as cold, robotic and detached as their name and catalog imply and minor gripes aside (Wes Eisold’s vocals, unfortunately, could use a bit of work), they were quite compelling…right up until their set came to a screeching halt after only half an hour. Eisold has stated in interviews that he doesn’t like playing sets longer than 30 minutes in length, since that’s the longest that a band can hold his attention. That might fly in the hardcore world but with a headlining act that favors slow builds over explosive flare outs, a set that short just feels like a tease. My review and photos from the show can be found at PopMatters.

On Saturday night, I made my way out to Govinda Gallery in Georgetown to witness two of China’s latest exports: experimental folk musician Xiao He and post-punk stalwarts P.K. 14. Both delivered earnest, fantastic performances to a room of about 50 folks of all ages, including doll-toting little girls, beard-stroking old men and Ian MacKaye (natch). The show felt intimate, vital and community-oriented in a way that too few shows in D.C. do nowadays—leave it to some punks from Beijing to remind us Washingtonians of our roots. My review and photos from this show can also be found at PopMatters.