art brut @ bowery ballroom - 11.15.09

when i was asked to photograph art brut at the bowery ballroom, i had no idea what i was in for. i had read about the band from time to time on the blogs and had heard that they were good, but i had never heard any of their music and i certainly had no idea what to expect from their live show. and i'm so glad - i don't think i've ever been so surprised in such a good way. when we were waiting for the band to come on stage, i should have known that i was in for something when every single person in the packed house started chanting "art brut, top of the pops" at the tops of their lungs. raucus guitars, pulsing drums, and howling vocals...but that wasn't what i was impressed with. i was impressed by the sheer energy and joy that radiated from this band. hilarious banter, lots of schtick, tons of smiles, and real interaction with their audience. i was standing directly in front of lead singer eddie argos, who leaned over me and sweat and spit all over me and my camera (you'll see alot of this in the pictures - i couldn't clean my lens fast enough). at one point in the show, i felt a hand on my shoulders and when i looked up, i saw that it belonged to eddie. he then leaned in to me and said, "excuse me love, but i need to get down". he then proceeded to use my arm for balance while he jumped into the crowd. he then crawled into the audience and somehow convinced each and every person in the bowery ballroom to get down on their knees (except for me) while he preached to them. INCREDIBLE. i haven't had that much fun at a show in a long time. here are pictures of the craziness.

art brut, top of the pops, indeed.

click here to see the rest of my pictures.

k