Review: Jacuzzi Boys + Jackson Scott

Last Monday all of those indie-rockers out there could satisfy their late night lo-fi cravings at Privatclub.

For starters, we got Jackson Scott. With influences ranging from Syd Barrett's psychedelic endeavours to early Weezer's alt-rock, this quirky kid manages to create a sound that is truly his own. And when it comes to the stage presence, he's a natural too. He engaged with the audience after almost every song with funny, personal comments. All in all, it felt as though the audience were just some of his friends he invited over for a gig in his living room to check out some new songs that he had written. He even didn't have a problem with leaving the stage for a second during one of the songs (a cover of "Interstellar Overdrive" by Pink Floyd) to go to the bathroom and take a quick pee. So effortless!

The eerie moments and the voice pitch-shifting which are present on the record got somehow lost in the fuzz of the live performance, but maybe it was for the best, as I think that it is much more interesting for the live performance to be its own entity along with its own energy rather than a faithful rendition of the recorded stuff. Here, the bass player and the drummer were crucial in achieving a grunge-y vibe, mixed up with some shoegazy undertones and even a pinch of krautrock.

I'm really looking forward to see what this young fellow and his bandmates are gonna come up with next.

The main course of the evening was served by Jacuzzi Boys. You can read a review of their previous gig in Berlin here.

Whatever you might have expected from this garage-rocking trio, you got it. The club wasn't full, which in this case might be seen as an advantage - there was so much more space to get your groove on and dance like nobody's watching. The sped-up versions of their bittersweet anthems about having crushes under Floridian sun were impossible to resist, people were dancing and singing along. They played a lot of the songs from their new record too, which sounded much more raw live.

If only every Monday evening could look like this. Fresh, energizing, a perfect way to prolong the weekend or pump yourself up for the upcoming week.

Review: Jacuzzi Boys

This gig had been entered into my calendar for a long time but I had sort of forgotten about it until yesterday morning, when I uploaded the preview. Listening to a few of their songs online I really got into it again and although I already had a theatre date with my man, we headed straight from the theatre over to Comet to watch Jacuzzi Boys play and, as a bonus, listen to Simon Wojan's fantastic DJing skills.

My friend was probably not the only one hungover from a long Easter weekend of partying. Therefore, I was rather surprised when Comet was nicely filled and quite a few familiar faces and local rock'n'roll celebrities had showed up. The atmosphere was lively and inviting. 

Jacuzzi Boys are from Florida and they don't try to hide it. Not only are several of their songs about the very fact, they also look the part and have made their own stage backdrop from cloth with a palm trees print. Now that's style! 

Having just set up the stage minutes before, they went straight into their set and got people moving from minute one. The set progressed to become faster and more rocking with each song it seemed and there wasn't just dancing, there was jumping and pogoing (no joke) and all sorts. People actually had fun, which is something I haven't really seen in Berlin this year yet. Maybe it's Spring, maybe it was the party weekend mood, but most likely, it was Jacuzzi Boys' energy. This three-piece just gets you moving.

Musically, they sound indie rock on record, but live, it's pure punk rock - another surprise. With echo effects on the vocals and sped up versions of most of their hits, it's a raw and fast affair. However, what makes this band stick out is the rhythm section. These two are professionals: fine drumming and a superb bass sound. I could have just had the bass lines and been happy just the same. I recommend this band to you. They may go far.

There is something to be said for those early shows at Comet. Even with hanging around for a while after the gig, we were home early enough to watch some old episodes of Password.