They’re back! It was long overdue, but the Disco Biscuits finally made their triumphant return to Colorado. After drummer Sam Altman’s departure and the ensuing trials and tribulations the band spent finding a new drummer, Philadelphia’s finest became whole again with the addition of Allen Aucoin behind the kit. With no expectations in sight, we could only wonder just what band would hit the Fillmore’s illustrious stage.
Before we’d find out, for 45 minutes or so, Lotus warmed the Fillmore up with Mike Rempel’s sultry jazz guitar and the band’s increasingly diverse grooves. Over the last couple of years, Lotus has seen an acceleration in their cohesiveness and power. They still jam, but now it’s darker and heavier, and they seem to have found a comfortable niche in the whole live electronic movement. But it was time for the Biscuits.
Without hesitation, guitarist Jon Gutwillig proclaimed, “I’m the king of the world,” and it was on. Any questions prior to the show were immediately answered and the band that arrived at the Fillmore was a band to be reckoned with. There was no rust. The Disco Biscuits were back and they were going to prove it. After a high-flying “King of the World” and an always welcome “Little Lai,” the band blew open the auditorium with a tenacious “And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night”>”Cyclone”>”Ladies.” Gutwillig’s guitar screamed through the “Ladies,” portraying a man who hasn’t missed a step in his playing. And his notes were precise as he led the band into a tight take on the Bisco side-project, JM2’s “Cyclone.” Clearly, the Biscuits meant business and the set closing “Spectacle” laid the proper finishing touches to a well-played and executed first set. Sure enough, set two would outdo the first.
Opening with a meandering and impressive “Sweating Bullets” that segued into a raucous “Shem-Rah Boo,” Marc Brownstein’s slaphappy bass pulsated through the room while the band could be seen enjoying themselves thoroughly for every moment of the ensuing exploratory jam. Then “Nughuffer” arrived. An old-school favorite, this version featured Brownstein divulging the story of Aucoin breaking the band’s favorite piece of glassware. And debuting in-between the “Nughuffer” jam was “The Great Abyss,” another extended foray that could’ve easily finished the entire set.
By the time the second set was over, the Biscuits had proven they were back, not just half-ass, but completely. That grittiness, that downright nastiness that was the Bisco of old was back and the Fillmore was much obliged. The night-concluding “Mr. Don” was the perfect fit for a feel-good return of one of the most impressive bands of the last decade.
For more info see: discobiscuits.com
Photo by Adam Foley
