The kids from Dehd stopped in Albuquerque earlier this month and eked out an hourlong show. Rock concerts are packaged like food products now; instead of raising the price, you shrink the amount in the box. The trio in Dehd earned $25 per head and didn't have to stay out much past 10 o'clock.
They put on a fine show to a cozy, appreciative crowd. Wikipedia is all over the map trying to define their sound: "reverb-heavy guitar, blunt drumming, and the use of idiosyncratic vocals, which include drawls, call-and response, yelping, and frequent use of counter-melody ... but additional comparisons can be made to wall of sound, surf rock and dream pop." Think post-punk Jesus & Mary Chain at 16 speed. Try prehistoric "Munsters." For the first time, I got a lo-fi Del Fuegos vibe. Fellow travelers with the Growlers.
Jason Balla, with the day-glo lime guitar, hopscotched around the stage gingerly as he daintily plucked his spare notes. Emily Kempf has taken over many of the vocals on recent releases. And Eric McGrady is a standup guy on drums (he literally stands up while he plays, like Victor did in the Violent Femmes).
Samples from the evening include the early track "Lucky":
They charged out of the gates with their latest hit, "Bad Love":
Here's a hunk of them live, as a sampler, on KEXP:
They did a two-song encore; maybe they got OT for that.
BONUS TRACK
Speaking of .... the late-great Del Fuegos, the pride of the '80s, with "When the News Is on" and its enduring metaphor: "Sometimes love is like a shoe; you run around a lot and then it falls apart":
And one of the great rock couplets from "It's Alright": "I love you baby and I love your cat / I love the way you look in my fireman’s hat":
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