Totally Gellin': Ted Leo/Kristeenyoung
[Kristeen Young], fresh off her latest stint (and subsequent mishap) opening for Morrissey at the Hammerstein Ballroom shows, didnt seem especially angry considering the circumstances. A few months ago she was opening for Britains fourth or fifth most popular export, and now shes working the crowd before Ted Leo shows. Not that it made any difference to her; she played her usual brand of fiery rock 'n' roll, making her two-person band sound like a full ensemble. The tracks she played of The Orphans record, her latest, were especially powerful.
Ted Leo played his usual extended set, this time including solo cover versions of Daft Punks Digital Love and The Pogues' Dirty Old Town during the encore. Mr. Leo and his Pharmacists ran through their entire catalogue, reaching as far back as the wonderful Biomusicology, the centerpiece of The Tyranny of Distance. Though I hadnt seen him perform in years, I was happily surprised that his new material holds up as well as his older songs, and he still has a witty stage banter about him. He made one crack about losing one of his gel shoe inserts, joking that he was, quite literally, gellin.
Photos courtesy of [Arambulo on Flickr]