by Roy Scopazzi
The polka dotted Quebecois invaded San Francisco for the first time (they’ll be back!) and I was lucky enough to squeeze myself into the most packed I’ve ever seen The Independent. Even after reading the Wiki page on Microtones I can’t completely describe what they are but seeing Khn’s spotted feet fly over their many, many pedals, I get the general idea that what Angine de Poitrine is putting down is something a little more odd and special than your bog standard rock band (the outfits and gurgling language also help). The energy level was enough to get a mild mosh going but on the level of a small tornado rather than a raging storm, and the crowd knew to raise those triangles once the band did as well (some how not feeling cultish? Very impressive). The greatest compliment I can give them is despite the outfits and odd sound, I never felt like Angine is a gimmick band. I’ve avoided acts because they’re going for one joke or one silly Thing that will disappear as quickly as it comes but this definitely feels like something that will stick around for a decent time.
Glad that Angine brought along another band from Quebec: Population 2. While their brand of psychedelic rock stylings weren’t as odd, I was incredibly glad to find out about them at this show.
