Wildbirds & Peacedrums at the Satellite, Los Angeles, CA

Wildbirds & Peacedrums

Wildbirds & Peacedrums at the Satellite, Los Angeles, CA, June 15th, 2011

Jun 20, 2011 By Laura Studarus

Swedish duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums are punk. Don’t let their jazz school educations; Andreas Werliin’s inventive percussive lines, or Mariam Wallentin’s artful vocal-slurs, tell you any different. The way they owned the stage (along with an additional musician on keys who smiled as though he was having the time of his life) at The Satellite on Wednesday night was so aggressively captivating, even Sid Vicious would have given his due.

Playing songs exclusively from Rivers (twin EPs Retina and Iris) the band crafted large walls of melodic noise (many which sounded even more engaging than their recorded counterparts). Wallentin and Werliin’s unspoken onstage chemistry is palpable. Wallentin struts, almost-cat like, her husband and percussionist Werliin a calming, multi-tasking counterpart. It’s a testament to the sheer charisma of the band that even when “loud” wasn’t the name of the game; they commanded a super-star level of attention. In a gusty move, Wallentin stepped away from the microphone, delivering an a cappella solo to the rapt crowd. Her powerful voice (moving from a sweet whisper to howl) was enough to silence even patrons at the back bar, clearly at the club for its ambience rather than entertainment. It was just one superstar moment in a set of many, delivered to the half-full club. Some may argue that given their means of making music (voice and percussion), Wildbirds & Peacedrums is a niche band. But live, they prove that even with limited means, nothing can stop true music (or magic) from emerging. (www.wildbirdsandpeacedrums.com)