Photos by Amanda LaCasse
I struggle with fitting bands into genres.
With Bike Thief, I don’t even bother trying.
Singer and guitarist Febian Perez described Bike Thief’s music as moody rock, or “post-rock-experimental-indie rock with psychedelic elements and baroque-orchestral-indie-pop-folk-rock elements.”
Some could call the variation of sounds unfocused, unrefined and erratic.
Others could call it versatile, well-rounded and skilled.
Regardless of how the band’s various musical genres are perceived, Bike Thief melded these seemingly opposite musical styles together when they performed at Last Exit Live on Monday night.
Bike Thief’s set list was a peculiar and beautiful tapestry, showcasing their ability to cross genre lines without losing talent along the way. The Portlanders’ live performance stayed true to Perez’s description and crossed from the realm of hard rock into classical, with instances of punk and psychedelic rock.
The show lighting was remarkable as well. The band’s setup included a fractal drawn on the bass drum that glowed bright pink beneath a black light, as did hidden embroidery included in Perez’s suit. Blue, red and green lights flashed in pace with the music, and the entire room turned black when I shut my eyes to focus on the music.
At times, I felt like I was listening to singles from Beirut, Fleet Foxes, Animal Collective (pre-“Merriweather Post Pavilion”) and hardcore Fall Out Boy. Other times, it felt as if all the above bands were thrown into Audacity and turned into one giant mix track.
The show was well-coordinated, with upbeat songs fading into trance songs. This was no surprise in the live show, as Perez said they are a band that enjoys creating one cohesive album rather than an LP full of singles.
“We definitely like the whole orchestral-theatrical sound and that requires a story,” Perez said. “The story of the album, the lyrics, they all tie in with everything.”
I am eagerly awaiting their next full-length studio album to see if they continue to embrace a sort of anti-genre or to see if they end up going in a single, more focused direction.
Contact the author at alacasse@asu.edu. Contact the columnists at Emily.Liu@asu.edu and Oren.Simchy-Gross@asu.edu.
