Last night, as part of Messiah College's free concert series, B-Sides, I was able to catch a performance by Brooklyn-based Atlantic/Pacific. When I first walked in the door, my first thought was Starflyer 59.
Though not quite as textured and Starflyer (sorry, but they're one of my favorite shoegaze bands...), Atlantic/Pacific embodies the shoegaze style of simple chord progressions, thick lead lines, and slow-moving melodic contour. Atlantic/Pacific takes a more folksy approach with a little less electric guitar and a bigger emphasis on the acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, they had some gear crap out on them before the gig, so what we got may not have been the most "true" Atlantic/Pacific sound. Regardless, it was still nice, relaxing music; much like folksy shoegaze should be.
Perfectly coupled with their sound, was their appearance and demeanor on stage. They were calm and collected, looking very comfortable on stage. Though there wasn't much talking between songs, what was said was important and came out smoothly. I've seen plenty of acts with a similar appearance, go up on stage and shoot themselves in the foot when they try to speak. It was good to see real people, enjoying getting to play, and making the best of their gear dilemmas.
Overall, though not my favorite band, they didn't do too bad of a job. While sitting and listening to it intently it wasn't too engaging. However, over light conversation, it was really enjoyable. I think that's probably how the whole shoegaze genre is structured, much like my music. The people who seem to enjoy it the most are also the ones enjoying themselves and the company of their friends during the set.
-Alex
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