Living & Arts

Los Campesinos! at Olde Club

In print | February 12, 2009

Any band with an exclamation point in its name is setting itself up for the expectation of being fun. And by most indications, Los Campesinos!, who hail from Wales and will be performing at Olde Club this Thursday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m., won’t disappoint. While it may seem like Olde Club is a haven for obscure indie bands whose music can be just as easily be forgotten, this band seems to take a whimsy to their act that sets them above the crowd.

First off, Los Campesinos! have spunk. On their blog, which they actually update, they had the chutzpah to write a post none too positive about Swarthmore, in which they claimed that they did not want to play at a school which was for “gifted/rich kids” and that it is “Not Cool” that Olde Club only allows Tri-Co students. Thankfully, this issue has been smoothed over (It was a misunderstanding, guys!) and, according to Olde Club booking director Charlie Decker ’09, everything is “peachy keen.” This is fortunate because Los Campesinos! are generating an incredible amount of excitement. A glance at the event’s Facebook group proves that they have fans from all around who are dying to come.

Alas, we who actually go to this school and get the chance to see this much-in-demand band are the lucky ones. If the critical praise showered upon Los Campesinos! for their two albums released last year doesn’t seal the deal for you, maybe their precious Welsh accents will. (Anglophiles, we know you’re out there.) Sure, it’s completely shallow to like music based on its vocalist’s interesting accent, but if you hear how they speak-sing the line, “Do you kiss your mother’s lips with that mouth?” in “Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #1,” it’s hard not to be charmed.

With seven members in the band, there’s the chance that Los Campesinos! could create either some really awesome, layered sounds or a cacophonous mess. What I’ve heard displays a lot of the former. I’m especially pleased by the background female vocals mixing with the male lead singer’s tone. But they’re also bold enough to experiment with their sound.

Plus, this is a band you can dance to, and they are playing with Titus Andronicus, who played an excellent show last semester. Get to Olde Club early and see for yourself the magic that is Los Campesinos! because, really, the exclamation point belongs there.