tullycraft/the malinks
friday, august 2, 2002 • the emp's liquid lounge, seattle wa
review by janice & mike • pictures by mike


review: So, Tullycraft hardly ever play live around here, which is why this show was supposed to be a real treat! Plus it was free. But sadly, the EMP chose design over function, and the Liquid Lounge completely sucks. The way this place is set-up is ludicrous. It's sort-of "L"-shaped, and the best place to stand and see the band is right where the stairs are, so you're constantly in someone's way. If you veer off to the longer part of the club, you have to endure rude waiters and you can't see a thing! I couldn't have been more disappointed!

We did make it through the Malinks' set, although since I couldn't see anything, I watched the video monitors instead. (They were playing old 90's alternative videos, like Sonic Youth's "100%". Arianne drooled over Jason Lee, while Spike Jonze warranted my salivation. And I saw Stereolab's video for "Miss Modular" for the first time ever.) But I digress! The Malinks really sounded great, and did a hysterical cover of Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison"! I'm not familiar enough with their catalog to say what specific songs were played though. But I thought they sounded great.

Sadly, it was all just too crowded and I was frustrated that I couldn't see anything at all. So I left with some cool kids, while Mike hung out and beared the crowd. Here's what he has to say about the great Tullycraft though: "Despite the obnoxious, high-profile venue, they were relaxed enough to poke fun at each others' flubs, and even though they seemed a little under-practiced, they worked the appreciative hometown crowd into a froth with their adorably snotty songs and banter."

Aww. Kinda makes me wish I had been there! Hopefully next time the Tully's play, it'll be somewhere nice and not so annoying.