Caught in the middle

So last night I went to see this band called Autolux, which I had recently sorta discovered and became mildly intrigued by. I had read rave reviews regarding their live show, and based on their recordings (which are done quite well) I thought I'd take a chance and see them play at the long running SF scenester haven Popscene. I have no idea why this band was playing at Popscene, which is normally known for showcasing touring UK acts, and hosting odd little "after parties" and album release parties in which the bands don't even show up to. Anyway, I used to go to Popscene on a semi-regular basis back when I had more hair and was maybe a little bit cooler looking--whatever the fuck that means. But now, I'm a bit too old to be staying up 'till 2:30 am on a Thursday night dancing to some Pulp song or something. Don't get me wrong, I used to have fun doing this, but that luster wears off pretty quickly.
At any rate, Popscene sometimes invites one band to play for about 35 minutes amidst the club's UK posing and hair gazing. I went alone last night because nobody wanted to go with, and none of my friends wanted to see this Autolux band anyway. Sarak had heard the album and was not too into it, plus she stands on her feet at her job most of the day, so standing in some crowded club for a few hours is not very enjoyable for her, I can understand that. Autolux took the small Popscene stage and immediately began to make a ton of noise, sans drums or percussion. They are a three piece (guitar, bass, drums). They are from Los Angeles, but do not really have what I guess is an "LA" sound, which seems scary to me, because when I think of an LA sound I think of Hollywood actors in really shitty bands, i.e. Keanu "canoe" Reeves, and that scruffy dude that starred in Rushmore. But Autolux are quite good, however they don't do anything that hasn't already been done (see noisepop bands circa 1992-1994). Textured guitar, feedback, delay, whispery vocals, and a driving rhythm section are Autolux's forte. I like this stuff, and never seem to grow tired of it. It's just so weird to me that this band has been opening for huge acts like Nine Inch Nails, White Stripes, and Queens of the Stone Age. Autolux are good, but they aren't that good. I guess I'd like to see a band like Autolux receiving props for making nice sounding music as opposed to all of the other poser, new wave, electrotrash/clash whatever bands that are in overabundance these days. The Autolux drummer was quite impressive as she maintained a traditional drum stick grip with her snare hitting hand whilst making her kit sound incredible. Being a drummer, I always notice the little things other drummers do to get a specific sound, or just their overall style, timing, and control are fascinating to me. However, the entire time while watching Autolux in the constricted Popscene crowd, I felt as if I were at some high school all ages rock show. Most of the kids in the crowd looked so young and had a strange, never ending energy. Were they all on drugs? Maybe. But I didn't really care, because I used to have tons of energy too, and never took any drugs. These kids were just having fun, and listening to a new, emerging band that will hopefully not become bloated because of the attention they are receiving right now.
The band stopped playing and the Popscene crowd went right back to dancing to Joy Division's 'Love will tear us apart' blaring over the house system. It was as if the band didn't even play and the crowd never missed a beat while they transitioned into twisted, esoteric movements. It was getting late and I had to leave. I walked back to my car feeling pretty good for an 'old guy'.