On the cusp of releasing their first studio album since 2002’s Senor Boombox, the Disco Biscuits are riding high following a few years of rediscovering themselves. Original drummer Sam Altman left the band back in 2005 to pursue a medical education; this left the band, who had been a continuous unit since 1995, in a state of flux. A new drummer, Allen Aucoin, was brought on board to fill Altman’s shoes. The next few years of the Biscuits were meandering and the band, at times, seemed very uninspired. There were some really great shows in these years, but the consistency throughout their tours was lacking. Now, going into their fourth year with Aucoin, a newly charged Bisco is emerging. The band swung through South Burlington’s Higher Ground Ballroom for a monster two night Mardi Gras stand with a first night of maddeningly classic Disco Biscuits.
The band has been debuting a lot of new songs lately, and this show was no exception with each of the evening’s sets opening with a fresh piece. The first set was solid with the real highlight coming during the last song of the set, “Voices Insane.” The song took on a new life and, at times, rocked improvised jams that could stand alone as powerful songs in their own right.
After a brief set break the band returned with a vengeance. After raging the new tune “M80” to start the set, the band launched into a segue fest of classics. It was a 70 minute walk down memory lane with a patient transition from tune to tune. They wove through a complex “Hope,” into the meat of “Crickets,” before steering straight into an inverted “Story of the World,” making a right turn headfirst into “Spacebirdmatingcall” and landing on a 20 plus minute “I-Man” to close things out.
With the fierce energy of this show, a new album due out any day now, and a year’s worth of tour dates ahead of them, 2009 seems to hold a lot of potential for the Biscuits.
Setlist:
Set I: Tamarin Alley, Mindless Dribble > Lunar Pursuit > Shem-Rah Boo > Voices Insane
Set II: M80, Hope > Crickets > Story Of The World > Spacebirdmatingcall > I-Man
E: Onamae Wa
