[Photos/Text by Andrew Parks]
Here at self-titled, we try to rage against the hype machine as much as possible. Sometimes we can’t help adding to all that nonsense, though, as bands prove the lofty claims of bullshit-driven blogs and magazines. Case in point: Amazing Baby’s staggering growth over the past year, as the group’s co-founders (guitarist Simon O’Connor and singer Will Roan) fired/hired a revolving door of musicians and backup singers, and struggled to find their sound amid glimpses of Spiritualized and who-knows-what-else.
Which brings us to Friday’s Phoenix show, their biggest support slot gig since last year’s Bloc Party tour—a buzz-stirring moment the band wasn’t quite ready for. Aside from being the first Terminal 5 set we’ve actually enjoyed in forever, the show felt like a watershed moment for Amazing Baby’s true calling: replicating the Brit-pop-reared bombast of Pulp after one too many pot brownies. As we saw during s/t’s CMJ show, Amazing Baby have always had reached for the heavens with their hooks and heavily-layered sound. They just couldn’t meet those goals halfway with a well-oiled backing band.
Not anymore. These guys are the real deal, and they’ll be headlining the same venues as Phoenix or their pals MGMT in no time.
One Response to “1MM: Forget All Those MGMT Comparisons, Amazing Baby’s Terminal 5 Set Was Like Pulp With Guitar Solos and a Secret Pot Brownie Stash”
on August 14th, 2009 at 2:10 am #
[...] anthem “We Gotta Know” on Thursday night, causing one rabid concertgoer (Amazing Baby guitarist Simon O’Connor) to rush the stage, pump his fist like a piston, and subtly sing [...]