The Boy With The Arab Strap

I get a little giddy when I'm about to see a band I really love. After listening to their music over and over and knowing their songs inside and out, I really look forward to seeing it live. Hearing them without album production, seeing them play their instruments, getting to hear them talk and revealing a little more of their personality.

And I'm not going to lie, I get really "girl" about it all, too. I can't help but get crushes on most anyone standing on the stage singing and playing their heart out. It's like getting a crush on passion and music and focusing it on the body that is bringing it to me. And yeah, often times band members just so happen to be really hott (Is it a requirement or something?) I'm ok with being "girl" about it, though, because first and foremost I am a HUGE fan of the music. I know it inside and out and I live it so me getting a "crush" on a band isn't as lame as it sounds.



That said...last night I saw Arab Strap at the Iota with Serena. I was more than ecstatic when this all fell into place and oh how the stars were aligned for me to get to go to this show on my one free week night. Most anyone who knows me at all should be aware of the fact that I am slightly obsessed with anything Scottish. (And if there's an extra word in the previous sentence it is "slightly.") Some things I love about it are stupid superficial things like "Oh I love the accent!" but others are more solid like the fact that I have the document from when my great-great-great-grandfather came over here from there (William Pringle, thank-you-very-much!) But anyway, lately I've pretty much immersed myself in music coming out of Scotland and Arab Strap is definitely one of their finest.

The thing I love about Arab Strap is...well, a few things. One, they're men not boys; Two, they have super thick accents which come out in many of their songs; Three, they say cunt* a lot in their songs; Four, their songs all effing depressing but amazing.

The show was really good and they actually played longer than I thought they would The acoustic set at the end was a nice surprise especially since it included "The Shy Retirer" which is a favorite of mine. I liked the Iota because it was small and Serena and I were able to hang out inside before the show. We got there super early to ensure we'd get a ticket and while we could have arrived later, it worked out quite nicely as we got to watch Arab Strap's sound check and enjoy a couple of drinks while the bands were around. (Note: I tried REALLY hard at this point to "look Scottish**" and hott and approachable***.)

The opening band was better than I expected and at least interesting because they had a violin, toy piano, and french horn player. The singer reminded me a lot of Conrad Keely of Trail of Dead actually. This is when we made our way up front because why the Hell would I go to a show to stand in back? It pained me not to be able to take pictures but I very discretely caught a few with my phone. It's hard to explain what a good show is like without sounding like a complete pretentious tool so I'm hesitating with what to say. It's like a combination of not being able to stand still, wanting to sing along (but NOT!), watching their fingers on the guitar to really hear the solos, seeing the emotions in their faces while singing, hearing old parts of the song in new ways, deciding I have to pick up the guitar again, wondering how someone can turn life into lyrics, deciding I'm dropping everything and following them on tour, concluding that being "that girl" for a night with a band member really wouldn't be that bad, etc.

We chatted with Malcolm Middleton for a moment after the show which seals the deal on my love for a band. Personality + music = Love. It's weird because I get so incredibly into bands but I really don't think I'm ever "that girl" (the other "that girl", the one who was next to us at the show and acted like the music was orgasmic or something and her sole purpose on earth was to bob her head to their music and yell out lame things to the band.) I'm just passionate about it all and I can only hope that's how I'm perceived. So thanks, Arab Strap. You put on a fine show last night and I'm glad you get to go home in just a day (OH PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TAKE ME TO SCOTLAND WITH YOU!!!!)




Come back for my next post which will be "Words Of Wisdom Straight From The Lyrics Of Arab Strap"!

*Get over it, it's just a word.
**I'm not really sure how one "looks Scottish" but if you know, please share.
***I always daydream at shows about the band coming up to me and saying something like, "We can tell you are a true fan and a cool person. Come hang out with us" or "Oh my gosh, I must kiss you!" but then I remind myself of a few things: 1) They have families back home, 2) They can't read my mind and 3) If I were in a band would I think it okay to go up to someone and say that/kiss them?