Words by Morgan Elizabeth
I entered The Crocodile late. The 22-20s were near the end of their set, and Saint Motel was long done. Never having been at this particular venue, I was extremely pleased at how awesome it was. Oh, I love Seattle. Grabbing a vodka tonic, I entered the sea of flannel, sneakers, and beards. Hello, heterosexual Seattleites, it’s been awhile. I felt very out of place in my “fuck me now” Fluevogs, Victoria Secret rocker top, silver dramatic eye shadow, and skulls headband that nicely propped up my short lioness hairstyle. However, nobody seemed to be staring, they were way too consumed by the music and their beer and Redbulls. The music wasn’t anything special to me, so I wandered to the upstairs bar. It was small, but the view was pretty good. The band was on their last song, so I decided to venture back down and secure a spot three feet from the stage. It was here that I noticed that while in my “fuck me now” Fluevogs, I was taller than most of the guys. I’m not a super tall person, but I seem to be on the taller side here in Seattle. I pondered the concept of lack of sunshine in relation to growth hormones while the roadies prepped the stage. The roadies left, the lights changed, and Band of Skulls emerged!They opened with “Light of the Morning”, the first song from their debut album “Baby, Darling, Doll Face, Honey”. Head banging commenced on the big drumbeats. Everyone knew the words. We were all loyal fans. I knew my neck would pay for this in the morning, but I didn’t care. My inner rocker was free, and I was at one with the flannel, bearded ones.
I discovered Band of Skulls with Seattle Rock Guy last summer at the Capitol Hill Block Party. They played at Neumos and stole my rocker heart. They have great energy on stage that feels like a balance of passion and chill. Tonight at The Crocodile was no exception. Russell Marsden was right there in the moment with his guitar. He played hunched over often, migrated a bit to Matt Hayward on the drums and would meet Emma Richardson and her bass in the middle of the stage. Emma and Russell’s chemistry is what gives off the balanced vibe. She stands more upright and moves about the stage in a laid back sort of way. Men shouted at her. They wanted her. She didn’t really acknowledge them at all, she was focused on the music, but occasionally she sported a sincere smile. Matt just did his thing on the drums while sporting a Whigs t-shirt. His energy totally supports the balanced vibe. I also really love that they all have shoulder length hair.
They played my favorite song, “Cold Fame”. This song and I have a good history. The whole album became the album I used to help me get into the character Libby, the first leading role I had in an independent feature film that I shot a couple weeks after first seeing Band of Skulls. When I hear music, I get images and feelings, and when I hear Band of Skulls, I think of small towns with a desire to break free AND urban life with dissatisfaction. Although Band of Skulls comes from England, their music brings about American nostalgia for me. I think of softball fields, beer, whiskey, parties, sex, pot, and the 70s. I think of the movie Dazed and Confused. Libby very much had these elements to her. The line from “Cold Fame” that hit her soul was “I know my place, but it don’t know me.” As I slowly moved to this song at The Crocodile, I felt a strange transcendental moment. I was there as Morgan and as Libby. So many memories and feelings were stirred up, and I stood there proud of it all.My eyes got watery, but I held back tears and smiled with passion and understanding of life. Then the song changed, and I snapped out of it.
The show was great. The music never actually stopped. They held chords between songs. This was their last show of their American tour, and they rocked it. No words can truly describe a concert experience, so here is the best YouTube video from the show I could find.
Rock!
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