A generous crowd of Nashville die-hards braved tornadoes and downpours Tuesday night (April 3) for a chance to catch the Black Lips’ infamous live show at local dive, the End. However, contrary to widely circulated stories of the band’s off the wall stage behavior, the Lips mostly left the shenanigans at home — other than singer/guitarist Cole Alexander’s spit antics and random stage dives — opting instead to let their reverb-soaked, psychedelic blues rock do the talking.
As light poured through an oil wheel in the back and treble toned fuzz roared ever louder from the stage, Black Lips came off like a modern incarnation of the Animals, blowing through a boozy set heavy on tunes from Let It Bloom and their latest live document Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo. Shaking and bouncing their way through other songs such as “Sea of Blasphemy,” “Dirty Hands,” and “Buried Alive,” the Lips had even the most timid concertgoers grooving in their Chuck Taylors, and only slowed down once for “Hippie, Hippie Hoorah.”
And what the band lacked in outrageousness, they surely made up for with energy. It was apparent that, while entertaining, the band’s crude high jinks were not only unnecessary, they would have been an unwelcome distraction from a fantastically raucous night out. DANE SMITH / PHOTOS BY KELLY GARRETT COFFEE
>> Listen to Black Lips on Napster
We asked: The Black Lips’ latest album Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo translates to “the Brave of the New Age.” What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
