Main room, and the place was buzzing afterwards with people talkingĪbout how amazing this band they'd never heard of were. But as the Dears set progressed, more and more people filled the The Dears opened for Crooked Fingers at Bowery Ballroom in March, a weirdīill as Crooked Fingers fans tend to be Upper East Side '30-something They make believers out of everyone who sees them.

I paid for tickets! And I made believers out of every one of them (except my friend Jenn, who doesn't like Belle & Sebastian either, so there you go). Still, I dragged everyone I could to see subsequent shows. This was a minor disappointment, suffering mainly to an oddly-arranged setlist and being a bit too loud for the room (maybe the only time ever at the Merc). I saw them again at Mercury Lounge on my birthday (January 15, if you're wondering) with Radiohead-wannabes Benzos. The Dears are an absolute powerhouse live. And what seems fey on the album, absolutely rocks live. The vocal affectations melt away when he belts it out onstage, selling every note. And their unbelievable stage presence, especially frontman Murray Lightburn. But then I went to see them with the Brian Jonestown Massacre at Mercury Lounge in October 2004 and I was blown away. People heard the album, and Murray Lightburn's Damon-Albarn-meets-Morrissey vocal delivery, the keyboard-heavy production and decided they didn't need to see these poseurs live. Their album No Cities Left(released November 2004) just didn't do any of the songs justice. They were pretty much ignored by the American press (and blogs especially) which is partly their own fault. The Dears were the best live band touring in 2005. It used to be I had a jar where I kept all my ticket stubs, but between Ticketweb and buying tickets at the door, it's hard to keep track. I saw a lot of shows in 2005, half of which I'm forgetting about.

Tom power murray lightburn