Best of the Year: Top 10 Concerts of 2019 by Mickey

Posted on 12/19/2019 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Air Supply, Berlin, Best of 2019, best of the year, Bryan Ferry, City Winery, Ex Hex, Fontaines DC, Metric, MGM National Harbor, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Robyn, Terri Nunn, The Anthem, The B-52s, The Birchmere, The Church, The Fillmore Silver Spring, The Fleshtones, The Struts, U Street Music Hall.

Mickey McCarter was *thrilled* to see the classic lineup of Berlin reunite. (Photo by Jason Nicholson)

Editor’s Note: This year, we asked our bloggers to name their Top 10 shows of 2019 or choose their Top 10 photos of the year. We will run them over the course of mid-December as our Best of the Year posts.

Many of our bloggers work as one-man bands. They travel to a show, shoot it, and write it up. But as Parklife DC editor, I frequently work in collaboration with others. And so I have the opportunity to travel to shows I might otherwise not see in support of bloggers who are there to shoot (usually) or write (occasionally) about the program.

Live Review: The Church @ The Birchmere — 4/18/19

Posted on 04/22/2019 by Jason Nicholson "Le Mouton Flâneur" in Live Review and tagged Australia, neo-psychedelia, new wave, psychedelic, The Birchmere, The Church.

Steve Kilbey fronts The Church at The Birchmere on April 18, 2019. (Photos by Jason Nicholson; Words by Mickey McCarter)

Steve Kilbey paused and invited the audience to imagine flipping over a record. Of course, he told The Birchmere, you would have to walk over to it, gently lift it from the turntable, wipe the static away, turn the record over, wipe that pesky static some more, and carefully place your vinyl just so.

In this case, the reward is “Spark,” the first song on Side 2 of Starfish, the hit album by The Church, which Steve has fronted for nearly 40 years. And so, Steve, guitarist Peter Koppes, and the rest of The Church performed Starfish in its entirety for an appreciative sold-out room at The Birchmere recently.

Ticket Giveaway: The Church @ The Birchmere, 4/18/19

Posted on 03/27/2019 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged Australia, free tickets, neo-psychedelia, new wave, post-punk, The Birchmere, The Church, ticket giveaway.

The Church (Photo courtesy Erika Tooker)

The Church return for a US tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal album Starfish. Steve Kilby and company will perform at The Birchmere on Thursday, April 18, and you can win tickets to go with Parklife DC.

Music Park: The Church @ 9:30 Club — 10/1/17

Posted on 10/06/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Australia, neo-psychedelia, new wave, post-punk, psychedelic, The Church.

The Church perform at 9:30 Club on Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Steve Kilbey was a little bit cantankerous at 9:30 Club on Sunday. He weathered numerous calls for the best-known singles by his band The Church. One enthusiastic audience member for example bellowed for “Under the Milky Way,” prompting Steve to shout, “No!” — right before playing the wonderfully forlorn hit toward the end of his main set.

Ticket Giveaway: The Church @ 9:30 Club, 10/1/17

Posted on 09/20/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Australia, free tickets, neo-psychedelia, new wave, post-punk, psychedelic, The Church, ticket giveaway.

On Oct. 6, legendary Australian psych rockers The Church will release their 26th studio album, Man Woman Life Death Infinity, via Unorthodox Recordings. To mark the occasion, The Church embarked on a 29-date North American Tour, and frontman Steve Kilbey and company will perform at 9:30 Club on Sunday, Oct. 1. You can win tickets to go with Parklife DC.

Don’t Miss: Careless Memories @ Dodge City, 9/8/16

Posted on 08/30/2016 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Careless Memories, dj party, Dodge City, Echo and the Bunnymen, neo-psychedelia, new wave, Psychedelic Furs, The Bangles, The Church, The Teardrop Explodes, XTC.

Echo & The Bunnymen, Clapham Common, Calling Festival, London, on July 4, 2015. (Photo by Drew de F Fawkes)

Last month’s edition of Careless Memories: A New Wave Party at Dodge City was a hit! And it also had a theme: the songs of early MTV.

Well, this month I return with a fresh theme: A Salute to Psych. You see, I’m inspired that Echo & The Bunnymen perform at the 9:30 Club on Friday, Sept. 9! And so Careless Memories (A New Wave Party) salutes the neo-psychedelic artists that had great crossover hits between the parallel lines of new wave and neo-psychedelia.

Watch the official music video for “Lips Like Sugar” by Echo & The Bunnymen on YouTube:

Turn up at Dodge City on Thursday, Sept. 8 (the night before The Bunnymen perform) for an extra dose of The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, The Church, The Psychedelic Furs, XTC, probably even The Bangles, and other bands that produced hazy electronic cool.

You can RSVP on Facebook or simply join us — admission is free! And let me give you an early word for reading this: We’re giving away a pair of tickets to see the sold-out Echo & The Bunnymen show at the 9:30 Club! Check back here tomorrow for details.

Careless Memories:
A New Wave Party
Dodge City
Thursday, Sept. 8
Show @8pm
Free Admission
21+

Music Park: Parklife DC Top 10 Concerts of 2015 by Mickey

Posted on 12/17/2015 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Amanda X, Born Ruffians, dreampop, Duran Duran, FFS, La Luz, Marina and the Diamonds, Midge Ure, new wave, post-punk, Priests, Prince, punk, Ride, Sharkmuffin, shoegaze, Spandau Ballet, The Church, The Ocean Blue, top 10, YACHT.

Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet was a star player at the 9:30 Club on April 28, 2015. (Photo by Joy Asico)

When I look back upon 2015, I certainly discovered my share of new favorite bands. But I have to confess, the best shows of the year were dominated by legacy bands returning to reclaim their pop thrones. And so the shows I am most excited about in 2015 were generally those shows where a genre-defining artist came back to DC and absolutely mastered their art.

But I’ll add this postscript: 2015 also was the year of the punk rock girl, as several notable bands reminded me of how much I like a woman’s voice over a bit of surf or rockabilly guitar. I’ll explain more after my official list of Parklife DC Top 10 Concerts of 2015.

The Church

Best of the Year: Top 10 Concerts of 2019 by Mickey

Live Review: The Church @ The Birchmere — 4/18/19

Ticket Giveaway: The Church @ The Birchmere, 4/18/19

Music Park: The Church @ 9:30 Club — 10/1/17

Ticket Giveaway: The Church @ 9:30 Club, 10/1/17

Don’t Miss: Careless Memories @ Dodge City, 9/8/16

Music Park: Parklife DC Top 10 Concerts of 2015 by Mickey

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