Crystal Antlers Music Reviews & Coverage

Crystal Antlers in Live D.C.
Crystal Antlers / True Womanhood @ Black Cat
October 29, 2008 by Phil
all photos: Irfan Khalil and Jane Briggs

Before yesterday, I’d never left a show feeling like I just got jumped and beat up for my lunch money. And yet, after watching Crystal Antlers’ set at the Black Cat backstage Monday, it would be hard to sum up in words exactly what I felt other than to tell you it hurt: my ears, my bones, my head, everything. But, as these things usually tend to go, it was in the best possible way.

There are few bands who received as much press coverage and great buzz after last week’s CMJ Music Marathon in New York as Long Beach’s Crystal Antlers. I’d been a fan of theirs for about a month or so but with the absurd amount of media and blog attention they’ve been receiving lately, it seems like this week was apparently the week to catch their live show. And going in, I’d heard nothing but raves: earth-shaking, eardrum-crushing, intense; all the good stuff you like to hear before seeing this kind of band. There’s apparently something to it as Crystal Antlers and their intense blend of raw punk, stoner rock and soul pretty much tore the Black Cat down, leaving in their wake a half-full room of either dead bodies or converts. (more…)