Islands @ Henry Fonda Theater 11.10.06
Ah, Islands. A cute little pop group from where else but Canada (seriously what is in the water up there…magical-make good music-juice?). I, among many other rockers looking for some pop music goodness, flocked to the Henry Fonda Theater last Friday. In a slight change of pace, both opening acts were hip-hop MC's, instead of the usual openers with similar musical stylings to the headliners. Both Blueprint, a Producer/MC from Ohio, and Subtitle, an LA local who is a sometimes member of Islands, did their best to warm up the crowd. This proved more difficult than maybe planned as the hundreds of mainly teenaged rockers were in no mood to "throw their cell phones up like they just don't care."
Eventually the turntables were put away and replaced with the familiar tools of rocking: violins, keyboards, and electric guitars. The six islanders took the stage and launched into the first song on their album, Swans (Life After Death). The crowd seemed to sigh a collective "Ahh, that's more like it," as more familiar sounds of rocking filled the theater. These guys are pretty solid live considering 
how many tempo changes there are in the tunes. Solid but not necessarily exciting. I found my gaze fixated on the Chow brothers (former Super Nintendo champs) as they twirled around stage, furiously playing their violins…yes, that's right…furiously.
Although the stage presence wasn't all that astounding, their set list was packed. The dudes played nearly every track off Return to the Sea, a Def Leopard cover, and threw in some new jams for good measure. Unfortunately the most danceable track off the album, Rough Gem, sounded a bit rushed and showed signs of wear. But hey, it was the last song of the set. Besides, all was forgiven with a bouncy rendition of Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby that had everyone humming, "Bones, bones, brittle little bones…" all the way to our cars.
If the Islands make their way through your town, check them out. They may not have fancy stage gimmicks, but sometimes you gotta leave that up to Wayne Coyne and do what you know…and these guys know tightly performed pop songs.
Check them out on MySpace.