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Ironic abandon
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Exuberant indie punks Les Savy Fav can rock. But their feisty version of same, anchored by new-wave synth licks, squealing punk-metal guitars, and drum beats that can ignite a dance party or a mosh pit, was the only serious part of their set before a capacity crowd downstairs at the Middle East last Friday night. Taking the stage in a sailor’s cap and wig, singer Tim Harrington delivered tongue-in-cheek stripteases and whacked-out interpretive dances while alternating edgy art-pop vocals and ferocious punk screams. The New York City–based quartet have perfected their knack for rocking out and poking fun at their influences since they formed in 1995 while students at RISD. In the process, they’ve created a blend of new wave and punk lately expanded upon by bands like the Rapture. Tight and kinetic, their set was never eclipsed by the lunacy Harrington unleashed when he came out from behind his keyboards. Seth Jabour’s tart, coiled guitars lashed through Syd Butler’s often funky bass lines and Harrison Haynes’s full-frontal drum attack. The dance-punk rave-up culminated with Harrington leading a joyous conga line through the club, cowbell in hand. Although much of the crowd moshed with abandon, the night lacked a single unifying anthem. Les Savy Fav haven’t released an album since Go Forth (French Kiss) in 2001, and they played many songs from their early seven-inches, which they will release as the compilation album Inches in April. But Harrington kept everyone enthralled with his non-stop stage show and his amped-up delivery of old songs like "In These Woods," from their 2000 EP Rome (French Kiss). And the band showed their gift for cribbing just the right bits from their rock forebears when they led a spirited sing-along for the Creedence rock anthem "Fortunate Son" during the encore. The caper, "Who Rocks the Party," from their 1999 album The Cat and the Cobra (French Kiss), was a giddy musical blowout that would have had rock’s newest master of ironic abandon, Andrew W.K., banging his head in agreement.
BY SARAH TOMLINSON
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