Onstage, vcialis 40mg Perhaps is unpredictable and a bit unstable. Their schizophrenic sets experiment with various time signatures and sounds, cialis as the instrumental music ripples in waves through the audience. A hypnotic swirl draws us in, and the sound distortion begs, “Obey me,” as the trio stands in the shadows. Their set begins with drum thumps that mimic our heartbeats, rushing into our skulls with a well-spaced ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk, and transitioning into drawn out wails. We gaze at the colors that burst on the projector, multi-colored explosions that are deeper than the old acid trip routine. Because this means more than that, this is an organic mind shadow that did not need a substance to be. Because a substance would tone down what was there to begin with.

I can see McDermott’s hands strum his guitar, illuminated in rainbows. Haney leans forward, cradles the bass and thrashes his head in front of the screen. Taylor’s drum kit is reflected in a single pool of light onstage, as swirling dots envelop the group, and the hypnotic swirl continues to scream, “Obey me,” to us. This show is an escape from a world that screams, “Obey me,” and the onstage performance represents that thoughtless dimension. Their set builds and builds, as Perhaps continues to stand in the shadows. There is nothing other than this moment, and the stream of images that are being projected into our minds. Thoughts that have been kept a secret for their entire set, shoved in the corners, and forgotten in our mental distortion are now erupting in holograms, and swirling in ever-faster musical patterns.

Haney’s bass line descends, and the notes are held out for a final finale. He turns, and smears costume blood across his face. But in the shadows it could be real. Taylor draws out his hits, like tom toms, and McDermott’s curls thrash back and forth against the backdrop. Haney wipes the blood from his face as their set finishes out.

Giraffes? Giraffes! performs as a duo, stripped down to a combination of guitar, drums, interspersed vocals, musical loops, and two musicians against a blank projector screen. Their set tonight is minimalism at its best. The screen dims, and Topham’s kit glistens under the stage lights as he tunes up. Andreoli produces loops on a soundboard, nodding as an elated chord floats from the speakers. An integrated sound check is part of the performance, and it engages the audience from the get-go. We warm to the sounds drifting through O’Brien’s in one drawn out thought, and Andreoli continues to adjust the soundboard for us.

“Huh, huh…” echoes from the speakers and mimics the crowd’s reaction. There is maturity here, although it is tailor made for a younger audience. Giraffes? Giraffes! is one of the math rock bands, and has been at it since we were too young to know that. Their music has a distinct carpe diem feel, which evokes visions of California, with a golden light that reflects from the cymbals. The drums crash, and the set builds and builds with ever-stronger pulsing sounds that create visions in our minds. It is music that breeds the audience’s imagination, first, a sampled birdcall followed with a gentle guitar riff, just simple notes played over Topham’s drum rolls.

“Wah, wah, wah…” resonates through the crowd, and we cheer as the set stops. Andreoli begins to grind out chords on his guitar for the finale, and scream the classic anthem “School,” by Nirvana.

“Won’t you believe it? It’s just my luck. Won’t you believe it? It’s just my luck. Won’t you believe it? It’s just my luck. Won’t you believe it? It’s just my luck… no recess! No recess! No recess!” Andreoli repeats the phrase “You’re in high school again,” over and over.

Dipping their heads down towards the floor, the crowd’s angst-ridden joy is high school again. The stripped down, raw aesthetic of the band’s cover was the perfect end to the show, and I run the risk of assuming that Cobain himself would be pleased with their tribute. A combination of Perhaps and Giraffes? Giraffes! for the first date of their tour was an excellent example of original performances, with common ground between the two bands. Catch them together again at dates in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Toronto, Ontario over the next few months.

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