Q and Not U/Tekulvi/True North

live in Gainesville, FL (2002)

loserjames

The openers, True North, are Gainsville natives. I didn't catch True North's
entire set, but I liked the four songs I was able to see. True North is a
rather straight ahead screamo band, with the vocals alternating between the
guitar and bass player. While True North may not be entirely original, they
were fairly entertaining. They could have been much better, only if the
guitar player just stopped talking. Onstage banter accounted for nearly
half of their set, as the guitar player pleaded with the audience to register
to vote – or to rent movies from the library instead of Blockbuster.

The following band, Tekulvi, are a self described math rock band from Chiacgo.
I personally think of synthesized drumbeats and vocader effects when I think
of the name math rock, which is completely opposite of Tekulvi's inspired
post-punk. Tekulvi was frantic and jarring, with disjointed guitar riffs
and anguished screaming, reminiscent of later day Unwound. Tekulvi's songs
would all invariably explode into waves of sheer white noise, as the guitar
player would jump of a stage monitor or dance like some kind of maniacal
robot. Next up was the anticipated headliners, Q and Not U.

Q and Not U are the newest embodiement of the much famed DC sound. With
the release of their latest album, "Different Damage," Q and Not U have abandoned
the cluttered clash of dueling guitars, like Fugazi, and have fully embraced
the funky, more danceable sound of their post punk forefathers, Gang of Four.
I'm not too familiar with their newer material, but suffice to say, it was
amazing. Q and Not U were simply unrestrained energy, with the bass player
switching between guitar, bass, percussion, and woodwind instruments, often
during the same song. Q and Not U have incorporate more synths into their
newer songs, giving the material a new wave feel. The new sound is a bit
more sparse, with a heavier emphasis on the drumming, but isn't really a departure
as much as it is a progression, to the ultimate in danceable punk rock.
Now a trio and lacking a permanent bass player, Q and Not U used a sampler
in order to play some of their material off of "No Kill No Beep Beep." The
lack of a bass player didn't seem to be a hindrance, they played with an unparalleled
amount of energy and enthusiasm.