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Live Local Music

Deliberately Slapdash - Drink Up Buttercup Review

Posted by Charlee Redman on 10/02 at 09:40 AM

Banging enthusiastically on trashcans with maracas and capering about the stage, Bucks County-based band Drink Up Buttercup put on a unique performance at the 797 Lounge on Wednesday night (or rather, Thursday morning – the band took the stage around midnight). Despite the late hour, the band brought an enormous, infectious energy to the intimate stage, drawing the audience along with them into a bouncing whirlwind of percussion.

The band started off with the rollicking “Mr. Pie Eyes,” their first single released in the UK. Bassist Ben Money stomped about the stage, swinging his instrument in the air in time to wildly exaggerated steps. It was evident throughout the show that the band members were enjoying themselves; their enthusiasm permeated the room with powerful guitar riffs and keyboardist Farzad Houshiarnejad’s rich melodic lines. In “Seasickness Pills” the keys moved into a bridge reminiscent of a darkly marching syncopated requiem, accompanied by skillful vocals from guitarist James Harvey. Vocals proved to be one of the strongest aspects of the performance – Harvey and Money constructed intricate, graceful harmonies that carried the chorus of the bright, keyboard-driven “Young Ladies”.

One of the most memorable moments of the show was “Sosey and Dosey,” a kind of swaying nursery-rhyme about two kids walking in the snow who keep falling down. It’s a whimsical, simple little story from the band’s first US single, “Farewell Captain / Sosey and Dosey”. The tempo is slow and rocking, a triple meter that catches you and seesaws like the motion of a boat being knocked about by waves. Although the song seems straightforward, like much of Drink Up Buttercup’s music, it masks precise craft and composition behind a sloppy, slapdash exterior. The band’s members may seem like they’re playing messily as they careen across the stage, but in each song the distinct breaks between sections are carried out with a collective meticulousness. Each instrument builds into a crescendo and diminishes back to a carefully controlled melody during the bridges of “Gods and Gentlemen” and the end of a promising, as yet “Untitled” song. This new material, with the help of rolling percussion (including maracas) from drummer Mike Cammarata and warm arpeggios from Harvey, sounded like it belonged to a relaxed, sunny afternoon in Spain or Mexico.

Unfortunately, the show was rather short, lasting approximately forty minutes. There was a sense of the unfinished after the end of the final song; I for one would have loved to hear more from such a fresh, energetic group. This brief excursion into Drink Up Buttercup’s repertoire has left me in eager anticipation of the band’s upcoming full-length LP, due to be released in early 2010. If “Untitled” is representative of where the band is headed, I can’t wait to see what they do next. Whatever it is, it will probably involve the trashcans that have become somewhat of a trademark for the band’s live performances.

Drink Up Buttercup will be touring for the next few months, returning to Pennsylvania and New York City to finish up their tour. You can find information, tour dates, music, and more at the band’s website or Myspace.