live - Diacon Panthers

Saturday evening, the DIACON PANTHERS took the stage at Old City Java for their fourth show ever, a not-quite-sparsely attended EP release (to secure one for yourself, I'd check their myspace page).

After a shambley, confused soundcheck ("Maybe I should just use one mic."/"What's that buzzing sound?"), the Panthers disappeared behind Java's newish Little Rascals-esque curtain and soon re-entered, marching, from the back entrance, one operating a trumpet, one pounding some marching-band issue toms, soon stepping aside to welcome "Captain Yarn and the Musical Apricot" to the mic for a PSA (essentially the Panthers' drummer, Nikki Nair, strumming out an acoustic hortatory message about manners. It was actually pretty hilarious.) The tune was lovingly dedicated to the infamous missing sugar glider (currently adorning "lost" flyers on various poles in the Old City). It was all a little Royal Bangs Junior until the Panthers got on to the main event...

Following a couple of vastly differing opening numbers (one pop-punkish, short and intense with a smart guitar line, the other Durutti Column-esque dreampop), the Panthers frontman abstained from guitarist duties to simply sing. Sparse instrumentation (a slide guitar, simple bass, quiet drums) highlighted his unique, pleasant singing voice for the first time in the set, his pitch staying perfect in a situation (long notes, little instrumental backup) in which lesser singers would certainly go tuney at least once. Natan Diacon-Furtado (who handles/has handled vocals, guitar, and a million-odd instruments in this and various other local bands) possesses an authority over the Panthers project that manifested itself slowly but absolutely, from his apparent spokesmanship for the band earlier in the set to his constant (but polite) signalling to the others, sometimes leaning over to speak directly with each member about a single change. This band is fairly obviously about one guy, and that guy is the frontman -- his duties here extending even into typical drummer territory, counting off each new song with affable authority.

The Panthers played through genre after genre, including a Cabaret Voltaire-ish quietquietquietLOUD piece and a Steve Earle/Merle Haggardesque country rocker coated in viscous slide guitar, before (expressing doubt that anyone in the audience could diagnose it) beginning a countried-up (and excellent) cover of New Order's "Age Of Consent", admittedly difficult to recognize robbed of its signature bassline. For the final song, "When It Comes To The Night", bassist Jeremy Given picked up a melodica, Greg (Jeremy's brother, I take it) Given continued on intermittent slide guitar, and Natan changed his electric guitar for an acoustic, which he stated was not worth plugging in because "we won't make much noise".

Away from the din of the technical difficulties and rhythm problems (nothing practice and experience won't erase), the people left inside could even hear the buzzing of the amplifers left on. You could hear the exhalation from a drag on a neighboring audience member's cigarette. From outside, you could hear the Java punks' intermittent oblivious cacophony, alternately intruding and retreating as the door opened and closed. And you could hear everything great about the band -- songwriting, good ideas, good voice. Taste. Promise. Someone, sometime had switched off the lights during the performance, and in the dark, you could see it, in the quiet, you could hear it: the excitement of seeing a band in its infancy, knowing that all it will take is time.

RIYL: The Royal Bangs, Built To Spill, Merle Haggard.

MP3: China (3:41)