A.A. Bondys When the Devils Loose is probably one of the highest played albums on my ipod. Prior to last night I had only seen about half of an opening act he did for Elvis Perkins just under a year ago. I was so impressed I bought his album and have been a fan since. I had high expectations for the sold out show at Schubas. Bondy hooked me with about 20 minutes a year back, I couldn't wait to see what he did with a full set. The small Schubas room was full and silent. Bondys music demands a certain level of respect, and to enjoy it you really have to listen closely, and everyone in attendance seemed to get it. His voice isn't particularly loud, or good for that mater. But he sings with conviction and confidence.
Now that I described who he is as an artist, let me dive into the actual show. As Bondy himself said, "This is the weirdest show of the tour." Why did he say that you ask? Because everything was going wrong. At first Bondy thought it was his guitar shorting out during "Slow Parade" After violently shaking it to no avail he smashed it over the ground in true rockstar/folkstar form. Plugging in his second guitar he promptly realized it was not the issue... He then systematically went through each cord and pedal throughout the set trying to find the problem. He threw his harmonica, gave out his tuning pedal before he "fucking breaks it" and came extremely close to "Putting his boot through his amp". Did I mention the crowd loved every minute of it. In the moment of working equipment there were flashes of genius in songs such as "Rapture" and "Vampyre." All in all an amazing show full of ups, downs, and everything in between. Check out more photos here. Also a little preview of whats to come...Im shooting a portrait with Bondys label Fat Possem Records buddy Lissie this Sunday. Its gonna be awesome so check back soon.
