Live Music Review: Infirmary 4 Square at The Jigger Naughty, May 4, 2009

It had been virtually months of touring bowling alleys and the parking lots of late-night diners in support of their new album, Lose the Moustache, before Infirmary 4 Square was given even the slightest wink that it would be playing a venue with an actual stage, albeit one still strung with white lace from the previous night’s bachelorette party hosted by the Jigger Naughty’s resident spin meister, DJ Swizzle Stick. Brooklyn, I assumed (hoped), was in for a treat.

Not ones to hang their heads at such a meager inconvenience, I4S waited patiently while supporting act Dark Roots Below Blonde Jokes tore their way through a series of loosely-masked Kiss covers for an hour (their slot had been scheduled to last half that time). The crowd — at 80% capacity, I surmised, a number only slighted undermined by Liz, the blustery head bar woman, who calmly suggested 65% — was satiated briefly by DRBBJ’s angry buzz , if not their electric triangle player (whose small instrument had been given new life through massive, almost painful, pedal-fed distortion — or was it just the unfortunate consequence of a lousy speaker?). This annoying band member, I add with incredulity, was on loan from I4S.

Infirmary 4 Square finally held the stage as their own a little after midnight, and they more or less did not disappoint this slightly over-eager reviewer. Beginning with the marching thump-thumb of the drummer’s base pedal, they launched into their new single, “Hey, Honey, Your Hat’s On Fire,” picking up the pace with each song and never looking back. Well, actually, they did look back, but only when their drummer, Kelvin Oh, began to play an encore song rather than the next one apparently on the set list. But these mild transgressions were certainly forgiven by most, if not all, and certainly by me. Alexi Numero Uno’s vocals were as fervently high-pitched and staccato as ever, Donny Dawn’s base was overly simplistic yet reliable, while the guitarist (whose name escapes me — he’s new, after all) was quite good at keeping his pick in his hand. The triangle player? He has been with the band since 1999, but, given my ambivalence towards the electric triangle, I haven’t made the effort to remember his name.

It was a night of nostalgia, of drama, and lace. I won’t lie: I have every I4S album released since 1996, and tattoos of at least two of the band members (that is all to which I will confess for now). But was I totally convinced by their performance? Not entirely, no. Had they stopped their show to invite me to take over that triangle, I would have hesitated, but in the end I would have pulled myself up to that glorious half-square foot of space on stage to bang away to my little heart’s content. Then, I would have given this show four stars rather than the three and three-quarters.

* * * 3/4

Haiku / 173

The cat is about to puke.

I guide her away from any carpeted surface.

So she pukes under the bed.

Haiku / 172

Mosquito found

Crushed at the top of the stairs,

Limbs like a long jumper’s.