In advance of an upcoming three month tour that will see Protomartyr cover the U.S. and Europe, it wasn\’t surprising that the band would head out on a regional “warm up” mini run to get the juices flowing. What was somewhat startling was the final date would be at The Back Room at Bell\’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, MI. Thankfully, Kalamazoo is a short drive from my middle of nowhere location. Needless to say, I had a genuine “need” to see Protomartyr considering I\’d discovered their latest release and my latest long lost love , The Agent Intellect a bit late in the game. Its concerts like this that always seem to “let me down”. Ive been to too many shows that I was so excited to see and walked out completely unsatisfied, for whatever reason. I\’ve actually started to blame myself for setting the bar too high. Obviously, I hoped that Protomartyr would be amazing live, yet in all reality, I arrived with moderate expectations.
When vocalist, Joe Casey and the rest of Protomartyr took the stage there wasn\’t any fanfare or the standard rah-rah
bullshit that we\’ve all come to expect from bands nowadays. Rather, it was a simple “Hi, thanks for coming out…… were Protomartyr.” Opening the fifteen song set would be
Cowards Starve >I Forgive You>Boyce or Boice, all off of
The Agent Intellect.
It has been said that Casey has suffered from stage fright in the past so it goes without saying that Protomartyr\’s live set is mundane on the bells and whistles end. That said, what Joe Casey et-el do offer, is an aural explosion laced with veracity and genuineness. It\’s quite possible that the members of Protomartyr doesn\’t even realize how good they really are.
Set List
Cowards Starve, I Forgive You, Boyce or Boice, Blues Festival, Pontiac 87, Scum, Rise!, Dope Cloud, What the Wall Said, The Devil in His Youth
The Hermit, Clandestine Time, Uncle Mother\’s, Ellen, Why Does It Shake?
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