Review & Photos: The Bats, The Mantles, Legs @ Rickshaw Stop, 6/14/13

For the first time, the flag of New Zealand waved triumphantly at the Rickshaw Stop. Pass the Ringo, the debut LP from Oakland’s Legs just came out in April.

The band was the perfect choice to open the evening on Friday night. Guitarist Matt Bullimore is originally from New Zealand and the band creates a refreshing reinvention of the Flying Nun sound rarely heard around these parts. Male/female vocals, shimmering guitars and perfect keyboard fills. The crowd loved ’em and responded with the best dance scene of the evening. This is not just another Oakland garage band. Buy the record. See them often. Wave the flag.

The Mantles‘ second LP, Long Enough to Leave, comes out June 18th on Slumberland Records but you can stream the whole thing for free right now, right here.

The record is just what we needed: breezy, psychedelic nuggets of hazy, trippy deja vu. It sounds just as good in person. Although this was the official SF record release party, the East Bay record release party is June 22nd at Oakland’s fabulous White Horse. They’ll play with Kelly Stoltz, Scraper and Pink Films. Be there!

Robert Scott

The Bats first performed on New Year’s Eve, 1982. Almost all their recordings came out on the infamous Flying Nun label including 2010’s Free All the Monsters. Singer Robert Scott has kept extra busy over the years, recording and touring with his other crew, The Clean.

Despite recent tours in Europe and the UK, The Bats haven’t been here in some time (SXSW 2006?), and what a treat to have them at the Rickshaw. With three-part harmonies and trademark jangly guitars, they played a vast swath of their huge catalog. For these last two nights of the tour, the band was joined by violin maestro Kaitlin Wolfberg, of Los Angeles band Rough Church. The gorgeous, adventurous, and confident violin work added a great deal to the already terrific sounds.

Bats bassist Paul Kean scored this t-shirt in Seattle, oddly enough designed by Hamish Kilgour of The Clean