Be Your Own Pet

<a href=http://myspace.com/beyourownpetmusic>Be Your Own Pet!</a>

I just got back from seeing this band tonight. As is my custom when I see a band for the first time and am really blown away, here is a thread.

If you like the old Yeah Yeah Yeahs material (i.e. before they decided to be complete crap instead of cool), this band is probably up your alley, but they should also appeal to anybody who likes lo-fi but high-energy punk/garage rock. In my opinion, this band is what the Yeah Yeah Yeahs always could have been, if they were wilder and a little more on the punk side of things.

I haven’t been this impressed by a live show since I saw Teenage Bottlerocket many moons ago. For starters, their stage presence is downright unbelievable, especially for a band so young (their bass player just turned 18!). Especially of note is the vocalist, Jemina Abegg (who can be seen on the floor in adorable stripey shirt in the photo above), who gets right in there with the crowd and somehow manages to still sing like a powerhouse no matter how tired she gets. Having been in the front row, I actually have the pleasure of having her sweat all over me right now. I think I want to keep it. I’m just going to stop showering now.

The thing is, I was expecting a stellar performance from the band, but I was not remotely prepared for how swelltacular this crowd was. Devoted as they come. It is safe to say it was a veritable riot. By the end of it, you’d lost track of who was the crowd and who was the band. I particularly liked the part where they started kicking over their own drum set and running around just making as much noise as possible and everyone just started bashing on all the drums with hands or whatever else they could find.

This band is also the best I have ever seen about playing what the audience wants to hear. If somebody calls out a song they will play it. I shouted "Damn Damn Leash!" and they just played it, right on the spot, without even acknowledging among each other that they were going to do it. I was impressed. And, in fact, it turned out that they played all my favorites. All of them! I don’t think that set could possibly have been better.

Rather excitingly, BYOP made it pretty clear they were as impressed with us as we were with them, and their merch girl videotaped the whole thing. She told me it’s probably going to go online, which means that all you goons will have the opportunity to watch me dance like a spazz (and also, to witness the wonder that is Jemina’s stage presence.)

And here’s the good news: They only just started their current US tour! My city was the first stop! So now that I have clued you in, you can go check them out in your city, if you are lucky enough to live in one they are visiting. Have fun! <3

I’m happy for your awesome experience there TK. Tis cool.

I remember you mentioning a comparison to these guys when I was talking about The Grates, but I never really checked them out. Turns out I’ve heard bits and pieces of them before, like Adventure. I can actually remember seeing the video for that and thinking ‘hey this is not bad at all!’. Myspace music never streams for me, so I shall have to look for some mp3s via other means to give them a bit better a sample. But from the youtube’d songs I’ve heard/seen, I quite like them. Not instantly smitten, but that could quite possibly happen over time.

But yeah I definitely see the similarities to The Grates, if only in the female vocals. Sort of like if The Grates were more punk rock than pop.

let us know if that video gets uploaded, eh?

Goes without saying that their live show goes right off too, I guess! Perhaps they will come here some day.

I have had Damn Damn Leash on my comp for about a year now

It’s ok

I only bought Fever to Tell about a month ago and I think it is pretty great, so you know, I also think Be Your Own Pet is a pretty great band. If I can scrape together some monies I will consider buying some of their stuff, I had to spend money on one of those poopy slimline PS2s after my rad fat one stopped working, and I am keeping aside some other monies for the Too Late Show. After that, I dunno what I’ll buy.

Incidentally, Teekay, have you heard All I Hear Is Static (http://myspace.com/thelillingtonsrealdeal)? I think the new Lillingtons’ album should be pretty 5\/\/337.

qeued up, I think I will also pick this up next time I am at the record store, this is the kind of band that I like to give my money to.

also: they are showing no midwest love =(

i have always been vaguely interested in byop and on the strength of this i may have to purchase an album of theirs

I only bought Fever to Tell about a month ago and I think it is pretty great, so you know, I also think Be Your Own Pet is a pretty great band. If I can scrape together some monies I will consider buying some of their stuff, I had to spend money on one of those poopy slimline PS2s after my rad fat one stopped working, and I am keeping aside some other monies for the Too Late Show. After that, I dunno what I’ll buy.

Incidentally, Teekay, have you heard All I Hear Is Static (http://myspace.com/thelillingtonsrealdeal)? I think the new Lillingtons’ album should be pretty 5\/\/337.

Yeah, I listened to it and it is pretty much more of the same… which is great, since I’d be pretty pissed off if it was anything but.

I’ll definitely get the album, but at the same time, I can’t listen to the Lillingtons anymore without feeling like they are an inferior Teenage Bottlerocket. I’m kinda glad they aren’t going on tour or anything because I want Kody to keep doing TB stuff instead. I am so completely ready for a new TB album and tour. SO READY.

I would also love a new TB album, but this is fine in the interim fhdhgfhs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNx_IXLOvNY

I’m super glad that this part of the footage went on as this is one of my favorite BYOP songs. I’m a little hard to see as it’s pretty dark, but I’m on the farther away from the camera side of Jemina… I’m wearing a Ramones shirt, dunno if you can tell. The way you can see who is me is that early on in the song, somebody got knocked into a microphone and knocked it over, and I’m the one who’s picking it back up again and fixing it. Other than that you can just get glimpses of me dancing like a retard, when all the other people dancing like retards part and reveal me.

I love how much Jemina starts freaking out at the end. She was so effing tired by the end of this set I thought she was gonna faint.

Overall, I think this is one of the coolest live videos you could possibly see of anything ever, and the fact that I am in it is the icing on the cake!

haha, that’s great. and an excellent song indeed.

Such a charitable lad, fixing the mic for them.

It’s pretty standard show… etiguette, or something, I guess, at least around here. Crowd knocks over a mic, someone in the crowd should pick it up again. It’s the same with people.

Looks great tk~

hopefully they’ll get their arses over to my quaint little island, id love to check them out.

It’s pretty standard show… etiguette, or something, I guess, at least around here. Crowd knocks over a mic, someone in the crowd should pick it up again. It’s the same with people.

Of course. Makes sense if you’re all amongst the band like that. Come to think of it, I can’t recall being at a show where the band wasn’t on a stage, or at least…separated. So the whole being right amongst the band is a bit foreign to me.

In the end, someone else could have picked it up the mic, but it was you that chose to do it TK. It was you.

so yeah, BYOP please tour here also in a show right up in my face. thank you.

haha. that is true, I suppose.

Yeah I have only seen bands set up on the floor a few times, but it’s always a great time. The people in the front always have to be constantly pushing back to avoid falling like a tidal wave over the band. It’s nuts.

The only band I know of who always sets up this way is Lightning Bolt. Not only do they eschew stages, they usually set up in like the side of the room, or in the corner or something. It’s awesome.