It was a densely packed house for a Tuesday night, at Portland's Meow Meow Club on 02/22/05. An all ages venue, from the looks of it; 75% of the draw was under 21. Be that as it may, everyone there was dressed up ------ and revved up ------ for the show. The majority of the people i spoke to over the course of the evening, were there to catch the band Louis XIV, as was I.
Louis XIV is a quartet out of San Diego, California. They have risen quickly in popularity, and rightly so. Their style is one akin to the 70's era punk, Bowie/The Stooges meet The Rolling Stones, with a touch of garage-indie mixed in as well. Their newly released album titled, Illegal Tender, is receiving avid airplay among stations such as 94.7 NRK (Portland,OR), and from it - the song "Finding Out True Love Is Blind', is being highly
requested by listeners; across the country - and abroad, as well.
Their live show proved to be no different. With sound true to that of their studio work, their performance proved to be quite enjoyable. The lead singer/ rythm guitarist, and lead guitarist share vocals and guitar leads, keeping the songs fresh and unique. For a few tunes, the lead guitarist switches over tp playing a Hammond B-3 organ; hence confirming how versatile these four truly are.
The response from the crowd was one of pleasant satisfaction, with dancing, screaming and applause coming out of every known direction. I can most definitely state that their performance is one of excellent sound and presence. One which is seen only when musicians are passionate about their work, as can be seen and heard from Louis XIV's performance. We will be seeing much more from Louis XIV in the future, I can assure you.
Editor's Note: There are no pictures to accompany this review because the venue objected to the fact that the photographers camera also had a video function. Sorry.
