Quantcast

Call for Papers: PopMatters Celebrates The Jam in Massive Special Section

HARD Tour: 21 August 2010 - New York

Monday, Aug 30, 2010
by Brian C Reilly
After the incredibly successful and somewhat controversial HARD NYC that took New York City by storm on July 24th, it was only fair that the summer would come to a close with one final HARD concert.

After the incredibly successful and somewhat controversial HARD NYC that took New York City by storm on July 24th, it was only fair that the summer would come to a close with one final HARD concert. The stacked line-up consisted of Crystal Castles and Sinden with Destructo, JDH, and Dave P running the turntables to get the party started.


While many concert goers were meeting up with friends and socializing outside of the venue, a tall and slim JDH slipped through a crowd of people to make his way into the venue. After being carded so he could drink later on in the evening and after his arsenal of CDs in a duffel bag was searched, he was allowed to enter the show. An hour later, JDH was joined by his partner in crime, Dave P. to unleash some of the best dance music I have ever heard, and this was only the opener of the show.
  
After an hour of Dave P. and JDH taking turns at the boards, Destructo, LA native and heavy hitter, took the reigns and lead a total audio assault for well over an hour, mixing familiar songs with original beats that had the crowd screaming. Destructo made good use of the stage, jumping off of the DJ booth, highfiving crowd members and getting everyone pumped for what was to come.


Sinden, a UK DJ who has revitalized the club scene with his own brand of genre-melting DJ sets, came out and joined Destructo for the latter part of his set. Crystal Castles seemed to have come before Sinden on the line-up, however, an executive decision was made to keep the beats flowing and Sinden played for well over an hour an a half. His innocuous set left many ready for a break, a breather, a chance to catch ones breathe before Crystal Castles came on.


After much waiting and the the hour and minute hands free-falling into the early hours of the morning, the lights were suddenly turned off, strobes turned on and Canadian experimental electronic duo, Crystal Castles, appeared. Alice, the group’s singer, decked out in a skirt, tights, army jacket and grind t-shirt made a leap into the crowd during the first song. The crowd, incredibly receptive to Alice’s stage antics, only promoted her stage diving tendencies throughout the evening. Ethan Kath, the electronica mastermind and beat producer stood behind the keyboard for much of the evening as Alice flowed throughout the crowd, throwing a few occasional punches at crowd members and dodging kisses from crazed fans. Fans in the crowd were covered in sweat, yearning for a a bottle of water - Alice on the other hand, nursed a bottle of whiskey in between songs, fueling the madness and closing out another successful HARD NYC show.


Related Articles
3 May 2012
If Toronto is having a Seattle moment, as The New York Times called it, it's fair to say that Canadian electronic music is having a Chicago/Detroit moment.
By Dave MacIntyre
8 Apr 2011
Whoever said that electronic artists could never be rock stars hasn’t seen Alice Glass.
By PopMatters Staff
24 Dec 2010
PopMatters is on its annual publishing break until 3 January 2011, except for some film reviews and blogs. In the meantime, enjoy some of the year's best...
The year's best albums are highlighted by the emergence of a future superstar, two veteran and virtuoso rappers, and a Dream Team of indie bands releasing career peaks.
Comments
Now on PopMatters
Short Ends and Leader: 'Battleship': What Did You Expect?
'Battleship': What Did You Expect? (Short Ends and Leader) [Mon, 2:00 pm]
East Meets Least: 'Thirteen Women' (Short Ends and Leader) [Fri, 4:00 pm]
'Man to Man' is an Early Talkie that's Not Stagey at All (Short Ends and Leader) [Fri, 4:00 pm]
Calling Out to Carroll...Baker: 'Bridge to the Sun' (Short Ends and Leader) [Fri, 4:00 pm]
Early Summer 2012 New Music Playlist (Mixed Media) [Fri, 12:00 pm]
Paranormal (Radio)Activity: 'Chernobyl Diaries' (Short Ends and Leader) [Fri, 11:00 am]
'Men in Black 3' Looks Back, Again (Reviews) [Fri, 9:20 am]
Poliça: 11 May 2012 - Rochester, NY (Reviews) [Fri, 6:25 am]
'The Witcher 2' Does the Exposition Dump Right (Moving Pixels) [Fri, 6:00 am]
  1. The Top 10 Overplayed Songs You Hate by Artists You Love (Sound Affects)
  2. Tea with 'Sherlock': Investigating the Investigators (Features)
  3. Sunk? This 'Battleship' Stunk! (Short Ends and Leader)
  4. Top Ten Lost Midwest Punk Singles (Sound Affects)
  5. Tenacious D: Rize of the Fenix (Reviews)
  6. 20 Questions: Kate Bornstein (Features)
  7. 10 Pieces of Cinematic Art That Require Revisiting (Short Ends and Leader)
  8. Like 'Doom', In Heels (Moving Pixels)
  9. Punk Rock's Pet Sounds: An Interview with Bomb the Music Industry! (Features)
  10. Counterbalance No. 82: U2's 'Achtung Baby' (Sound Affects)
  11. She's a Rainbow: A Tribute to Donna Summer (Features)
  12. 'Albatross': A Not-So-Weighty Coming-of-Age Meets Mid-Life-Crisis Film (Reviews)
  13. We Will Avenge Them Or… Be Avenged?: The Individual in the US Experience (Features)
  14. Go Goth!: Ranking the Burton/Depp Collaborations (Short Ends and Leader)
  15. Counterbalance No. 83: The Stooges' 'Fun House' (Sound Affects)
  16. The Queen and Her Crayons: An Interview With Donna Summer (Features)
  17. Best Coast: The Only Place (Reviews)
  18. The Best Canadian Records of the Year? The Fun Agony of Voting for the Polaris Prize Long List (Sound Affects)
  19. Flash Points: Mommy's Breast, Marriage Equality and Why Chipotle Is King (Features)
  20. Something’s Wrong with the Black Widow! (Graphic Novelties)
  21. Sergio Leone: Something to Do with Death (Columns)
  22. Killer Mike: R.A.P. Music (Reviews)
  23. Sherlock Holmes, Dirk Gently and the Case of the Eccentric Detective (Columns)
  24. In Support of Supports (Moving Pixels)
  25. In Defense Of... Rock Radio: A Force in Popular Culture (Columns)
  26. The Cult: Choice of Weapon (Reviews)
  27. Willie Nelson: Heroes (Reviews)
  28. 'People's Pornography': The Mundanities of Pornography and Surveillance Culture (Reviews)
  29. Garbage: Not Your Kind of People (Reviews)
  30. Like a Jack London Story on Steroids: 'The Grey' (Reviews)
PM Picks
Music Archive
Announcements
Ratings

10 - The Best of the Best

9 - Very Nearly Perfect

8 - Excellent

7 - Damn Good

6 - Good

5 - Average

4 - Unexceptional

3 - Weak

2 - Seriously Flawed

1 - Terrible

© 1999-2012 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved.
PopMatters.com™ and PopMatters™ are trademarks
of PopMatters Media, Inc.

PopMatters is wholly independently owned and operated.
PopMatters is a member of BUZZMEDIA Music, MOG and Guardian Select.