Michael Leibner
Contributor
In “No Barrier Fun,” a song off Liars’ latest slice of exploratory art punk, Sisterworld, Angus Andrew moans, “I want to make it up/ I want to make my skin adapt to the sun.”
If their Sept. 29 show at Lee’s Palace was any indication, Liars have still yet to make it up from dwelling “underground.” Lucky for us.
In front of a nearly sold-out crowd, the New York three-piece, with two extra touring members, set about doing what they have done with conviction since 2004’s They Were Wrong, So We Drowned: taking that space in the underground and filling it with their inimitable brand of tense, often blistering, occasionally beautiful sound.
At the forefront of this madness was the towering presence of frontman Andrew, who came across as a ruffled, primitive force of barely contained energy. Like the rest of Liars, though, there was a method to his madness, as his wild yelps and inventive prancing helped draw the audience into the band’s odd, disaffected world. Only through this could they provide release in a more conventional sense, dishing out blasts of comparatively straightforward ferocious punk spread throughout the evening.
The set drew heavily from Sisterworld and 2006’s atmospheric Drum’s Not Dead, with many of the more solemn, mood-setting moments coming from the latter. Luckily, most of those gathered at Lee’s seemed as appreciative of these songs as they were of the more raucous portions of the set, such as the sinister “Scarecrows on a Killer Slant” and the propulsive “Plaster Casts of Everything.” These two along with numerous others, succeeded in getting the crowd energized and moving.
The show was rounded out with support from Calgary band Women, who provided some impressive, noisy guitar work. Lee’s, as usual, proved an ideal setting. Ultimately, though, it was Liars who took control.
To get the most out of Liars’ music, you have to be willing to follow them down some unfamiliar roads. You have to let them lead you to their underground, a place somewhere in between primeval instinct, disillusionment and catharsis, but definitely worth it.
By the time the encore closer “Broken Witch” rolled around and Andrew dementedly cried “We are the army you see through the red haze of blood! Blood! Blood! Blood!” it was already settled: we had joined them.
