Concert Review: Welles Strikes Mercury Lounge
At Mercury Lounge , it was easy to compare Welles to Kurt Cobain. Both share a very dry, sadistic humor like, a joke on striking your mother, and give the appearance of persons deranged by loneliness. Yet, now more than ever, we need rock n’ roll to prod and promulgate how angry we are at this world for failing itself.
From Nirvana to Led Zeppelin or even The Ramones, the history of rock n’ roll has been written by its capacity to measure the feverish angst of its youth. It captures the boiling temperature of the under 30, and places their rages into head-banging melodies. This could explain why long-haired men and women tossed their heads up and down like elevators on hyper-drive. Meanwhile, Welles tussled between bouncing around in body or staying still and darting his eyes as if comfort was a moving, invisible orb. He emanates the feeling/ exhausted choice we all have made in going on self-destruct because “getting better” is too hard.
In appearance, Welles seems like an average, harmless guy: farm boots, flannel shirt tucked in with a belt, and long, scraggly hair covering his eyes. Yet, it is his quiet appearance that helps him become “the singer” for the harmfulness of harmlessness. Even Kurt Cobain had a cherubim face that stunned people with its ability to screech notes as if his voice were the nails to his melodic chalkboard. Welles does the same; going from collected flow into a chaotic yell that amps every angel can turn into a demon with a wicked enough reason or a few drugs. Tracks like, “Codeine”, “Hold Me Like I’m Leaving” and “Rock N’ Roll” played to the times we hoped life or a lover saw us better than how we were choosing to behave ourselves.
Sonically, Welles could do no wrong; even breaking his guitar strings from the tension he panders in his voice and lyrics. His ability to simultaneously seem confined and chaotic ROCKED the crowd. He felt both soulfully old and new, all at once; igniting legendary rock’s rebelliousness but drawing on modern themes and vibes to do it. I walked away from Welles’ show feeling like the line between hidden, music gem and mass attention was very much blurring. He is refreshing classic rock for a new generations. For More Information on Welles Click Here.
