Alex G

I saw Alex Giannascoli and his band play to an attentive audience in a small basement. The band were tight, but not so much that it became a predictable playback of what his records sound like. The band play off of each other and inject a lot of energy, creativity and humour into their performance.

The set started out with selections from his latest release "DSU". They meandered into choices from his previous release "Trick", including "Animals" where Alex punctuates the vocals with screamo-style wails and garners a lone crowd-surfer over the otherwise quietly nodding audience.

Later on in the set, Alex takes a few requests from the audience and then ends with two unexpected covers. They play "Linger" by the Cranberries (featuring support act Girlpool on vocals) and then nearly talk themselves out of playing "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind. However, the drummer steels their resolve by exclaiming that it is "totally a party song", and they soldier through every verse with ease.

A+++ would gig again.