Thermals, May 12 @ Johnny Brenda's

Photo | Brian Howard The Thermals (l. to r.): Kathy Foster (bass), Westing Glass (drums), Hutch Harris (guitar, vocals)

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Thermals, May 12 @ Johnny Brenda's

POSTED: Friday, May 15, 2009, 5:00 PM

Filed Under: Music Show

Photo | Brian Howard

The Thermals (l. to r.): Kathy Foster (bass), Westing Glass (drums), Hutch Harris (guitar, vocals)

'Hardly art, hardly starving.'

There was scarcely room to breathe in a packed-to-the-gills Johnny Brenda's Tuesday night as Portland, Oregon's Thermals played to a way-sold-out crowd that seemed slightly more excited about the show than the band itself did. It would be unfair to say that the three-piece, touring in support of its new Now We Can See (Kill Rock Stars), was lethargic or disinterested, but the band did seem to lack a certain next gear that's a hallmark of its live shows.

The band turned out a shortish set full of yeoman renditions of songs spanning their catalog, from their Daytrotter Session's 'Everything Thermals' to Fuckin' A's 'How We Know' to The Body, The Blood, The Machine's 'St. Rosa and the Swallows' to brand new songs like 'We Were Sick' and "Now We Can See" off the new album and an unnamed, as-yet-unreleased track.

The crowd sang along to Body/Blood/Machine's anthemic 'Pillar of Salt' and 'Here's Your Future' (footage after the jump) and literally screamed in time with More Parts Per Million set closer 'No Culture Icons' ("Hardly art, hardly starving. Hardly art, hardly garbage").

Maybe it was the rigors of the road, or the fact that, as the band noted on its Twitter, 'It's getting really crowded and hard to move around in Johnny Brenda's,' but singer/guitarist Hutch Harris in particular seemed a tad distracted. There was scarcely any banter, and the band's one-song encore (a bit of a faux pas when playing a ridiculously crowded venue) the fantastic but just-over-two-minutes-long 'It's Trivia,' seemed like a tease, the act of a band anxious to get on to the next thing. Solid showing, but, to borrow a sports euphemism, they didn't leave it all out on the field.

(Video and more pics after the jump.)

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