[DID NOT ATTEND: June 17, 2023] Protomartyr / Ian Sweet
I saw Protomartyr back in 2018. I loved their album Under Color of Official Right but I haven’t enjoyed their other albums nearly as much. I’m not sure what it is, but the newer records don’t do the same for me.
In particular, the music has gotten softer and smoother, whereas on Right it was more abrasive. Singer/talker Joe Casey doesn’t seem as strangely out of place on these latter songs–a deep-voiced, spoken word seems quite apt for these jazzy melodies.
So I really had no interest in seeing this show. Although I am curious if they have the same fan base as they did in 2018 when the mosh pit was ceaseless and I had to move away from the front to stop getting elbowed. Songs like “Make Way” just don’t lend themselves to slam dancing.
But whoever their fanbase is, they are legion because this show sold out immediately and they had to add another show the next night.
Ian Sweet is the band/stage name of Jilian Medford from Los Angeles.
I can’t quite imagine a band that is further away from Protomartyr’s sound than Ian Sweet. The music is predominantly synth and dancey–bright and shiny (words that have never been used to describe Protomartyr). Some of the songs do get loud, but in a very synth way.
Given that when I saw Protomartyr, the fans couldn’t wait for a mosh pit to break out, this seems like an odd choice of opening band. And yet, I think it makes a really nice counterpoint.
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