When Something Actually Happens on the Sunset Strip

I loathe the Sunset Strip. This is no secret. The traffic angers me. The crowd makes me cringe and the thought of the amount I have to pay for one night on the Strip causes me to get lightheaded.

I wish I could tell you that the Strip is going under some sort of resurgence, but that would be a lie. It is still an airbrushed cesspool filled with rotten drivers and tacky suburbanites who scream things like, "Hey, want to party with us?" (Do I look like the sort of girl who would party with Linkin Park-loving ruffians?) The high cost of the Strip has gone down, however, $5 parking, $2 sodas and free gigs aren't enough to make me head west of Fairfax. Nope, I only go to the Strip for one reason and that's because I really dig your band, as with Pop Noir's gig at the Key Club last night.

I came into contact with Pop Noir when it was just a duo consisting of Manchester-born twin brothers Joe and Luke McGarry. I was DJing at the Airliner in Lincoln Heights and the band just happened to be on the bill. The style was minimal but with a strong pop sensibility, clearly the result of listening to New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies. In the two or three years that have passed, the duo became a trio with the addition of Chilean drummer Nico Saavedra and has grown in both musicianship and songwriting skills.

Last night was the final installment of Pop Noir's Tuesday night residency at the Key Club. The crowd was substantial, more than half full, and the band benefited from the only worthwhile feature of Sunset Strip clubs-- a good soundsystem. I have seen Pop Noir play at least ten times and can honestly say that I have never heard the band sound so good.



Pop Noir opened with a cover of "Waterfront," a British-styled arena rock anthem from Simple Minds. Despite being at the Key Club instead of Wembley Stadium, Pop Noir maintained the intensity of the original. It was a wise choice. I imagine many of the people in the club would be too young to remember the original (hell, I'm almost too young to remember it) and Simple Minds haven't really benefited from the '80s revival, so it isn't as obvious as working in a New Order or Cure number. Shockingly, the band learned the song less than a week ago and this was the second time it had been incorporated into the set.

The bulk of the set relied on original material, infectious pieces like "Don't Fool Yourself" and "Santa Ana" that feel like well-known radio hits were it not for the fact that they aren't.


Joe


Luke


Nico

The crowd was especially receptive to the set. Apparently, the guys in the front row had been to all four performances of the residency. They were dancing during the entire set.



By the end of the set, when the band busted into its cover of "Paint It Black," Luke was in the middle of the crowd.




I felt proud to see this young band grow so much in just a few years and hopeful that good things will fall Pop Noir's way in the future. This show was definitely worth heading out to the Strip.