He’s wearing a sweatband. He’s a musician, a proper good musician, and he’s wearing sweatbands. The music isn’t even that energetic, it’s all melancholy, slow and that, and he’s wearing sweatbands. How unusual. But then again, Death Cab For Cutie have never really done anything conventionally.
I mean yeah, initially it
was a shock to see Benjamin Gibbard, front-man of Death Cab…, wiping
his sweaty fod with a small black fabric ring fitted tightly onto his wrist, but it
became clear to see why early on. He wasn’t only tasked with singing all the
tunes, his unique vocals carrying across the stunning Albert Hall, but also with providing all the energy. The rest of the band were a bunch
of boring squares, albeit incredible musicians, and thus,
Gibbard was constantly moving and grooving during the various instrumentals, dancing like Yer Da’ at a
wedding.
was a shock to see Benjamin Gibbard, front-man of Death Cab…, wiping
his sweaty fod with a small black fabric ring fitted tightly onto his wrist, but it
became clear to see why early on. He wasn’t only tasked with singing all the
tunes, his unique vocals carrying across the stunning Albert Hall, but also with providing all the energy. The rest of the band were a bunch
of boring squares, albeit incredible musicians, and thus,
Gibbard was constantly moving and grooving during the various instrumentals, dancing like Yer Da’ at a
wedding.
The sweat bands, the bad dancing, it’s all forgiven though. Benjamin
Gibbard – take a bow son. He was everything a band like DCFC require. Their downbeat
trademark sound and introverted personalities requires him to be the captivating
front-man he proved to be. Without him, you wouldn’t really know where to look.
Gibbard – take a bow son. He was everything a band like DCFC require. Their downbeat
trademark sound and introverted personalities requires him to be the captivating
front-man he proved to be. Without him, you wouldn’t really know where to look.
It was only right that he took a moment in the spotlight to himself then, returning solo for the encore, playing fan-favourite, and utterly stunning, “I
Will Follow You Into The Dark”. There was a false start, having to halt initially as some wannabe
musicians tried to give him a clapping backing beat, which he quickly put an
end to, ordering them, “don’t clap, I’m just gonna say this now, I’ve got
better rhythm than you” to which he received a laugh almost as loud as the rapturous
standing ovation at the end. It was poignant, tender, so so beautiful, the crowd singing every word back to him, you could hear hearts melting from the first note.
Will Follow You Into The Dark”. There was a false start, having to halt initially as some wannabe
musicians tried to give him a clapping backing beat, which he quickly put an
end to, ordering them, “don’t clap, I’m just gonna say this now, I’ve got
better rhythm than you” to which he received a laugh almost as loud as the rapturous
standing ovation at the end. It was poignant, tender, so so beautiful, the crowd singing every word back to him, you could hear hearts melting from the first note.
One of the darlings of alt-rock over the last 20 years, Death Cab… have never really done things the usual, predictable way. Their live set is a mixture of melancholy and alt-rock bravado, they clearly aim to add an extra ounce of angst into the slower material to keep the crowd on their toes, ‘Cath…’ and ‘…Beverly Drive’ a contrast from ’60 & Punk’ for example, everything offers something different.
I guess the sweatbands was just a symbol of their music then, right? Always opting for something unusual, something out of the ordinary, something no musician has considered doing before simply because it just doesn’t seem to fit right, because it seems a tad nerdy, because it isn’t cool, but something Death Cab… have learnt how to own. “No, we ain’t gonna use towels, everyone does that, get me a sweatband, that’ll look cool, right?” Yeah I can imagine Gibbard having that conversation with the band. It definitely happened.
