Proof and Sir Arthur & the Royal Knights played a show Friday night at a new bar called The Double Down. Located at 517 Peace Street, its right behind Mojo’s on the corner. The parking was decent, the door was low ($3) and the drinks were fairly priced ($2 for a Yuengling), as far as Glenwood goes.
The last time I saw Proof, they played a going away party at Kings for their friend, Ian Wilkinson. They were also a trio. That was over 2 years ago. Now they have a new member, Jeremy Lowe. Lowe used to front The Greatest Hits. The rest of The Greatest Hits are now known as “The Royal Knights”, so this show was a reunion…well, sort of.
Proof played first. Their set was full of musical twist and turns that I have not heard from a live band in quite some time. It made me feel a bit younger (what’s one more drink gonna hurt?), so that was a unexpected pleasure. I am excited at the prospects of new recordings after hearing the new set. Not much has changed in the sound since I heard them last, except that there was more guitar to go around. The set exhumed “Living Wage”, a song from their self-titled debut. The band also consumes a lot of electricity. The power went out twice during their set. First, right after they finished their cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “The Movement” and again right before they finished. I guess if this place wants to have bands, they better acquire a circuit breaker that can handle the rock.
Sir Arthur & the Royal Knights played their high-octane revival. Its pure garage fury with medieval/mythological lyrics, although the contents of “Lancealot” are pretty obivious (“She likes my lance a lot”). Arthur’s fro haloed in a dimly lit setting and their tunes got a lot of the ladies dancing around. Some of the songs were played with a slower pace than normal, but not so slow that people stopped moving in wheeled-chairs while being photographed by the people at Zspotlight, spilling their drinks and screaming lyrics, whatever they interpreted those lyrics to be. It seems that the ladies were into it more than the guys, but everyone showed their appreciation nonetheless. The Royal Knights music and Arthur’s stage presence is something to see and enjoy. No wonder they’ll be opening for Polvo in DC in May.
Also, feel free to peruse Karen Mann’s take on the evening, complete with picture and video for those who need visual references. I recommend it.
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