The Blakes give full-throttle performance to packed house

The Blakes give full-throttle performance to packed house

by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer THE BLAKES FEBRUARY 15 CHOP SUEY My, oh my! I've never witnessed such a startling performance by a rising local artist as I did Friday night at Chop Suey. The Blakes, a garage punk trio on everyone's radar these days - including Seattle-based radio station KEXP, played a booming set of songs from their self-titled debut to a packed house that hollered, danced, bounced, and raised their fists in the air from start to finish. It was a very impressive showing by a group of musicians with minimal airplay and no major record label backing their efforts. This will change, however, as The Blakes are likely to gain from future exposure, in part from a European tour with The Kills and former Northwest outfit The Gossip, an appearance on popular French TV channel Canal Plus, and expected performances at upcoming summer festivals. Like rock star veterans, The Blakes jammed with confidence and a slight hint of playful cockiness at Chop Suey. The crowd ate it up, sensing early on that this touted threesome was on-point from the opening chords. In the pit, just below the stage, elbows met elbows as concertgoers found what space they could to shake their business. Dressed in tight jeans, lightweight coat and neck-wrapping scarf, lead vocalist-guitarist Garnet Keim was a raw, riveting presence onstage. Words dripped out of his mouth like a young Julian Casablancas or dare I say it, Kurt Cobain. Sexy isn't a word I'd associated with these ambitious upstarts before last weekend's show, but in-person these gents really did stimulate my senses. Particularly bassist Snow Keim, sibling to Garnet, who squeezed himself into a pair of form-fitting jeans and white thermal top, complete with a belt buckle that did its share of directing attention to his midsection. A slacker's beard, shaggy "do" and kickass boots topped his cool-as-shit look, driving several women near me crazy. Among the highlights of The Blakes' performance was an all-out gritty delivery of "Two Times," the band's initial single. Not one person stood still during that number, and I easily earned my next trip to the chiropractor from my own brand of twisting and turning. Another wild moment in the concert came when the trio fed the audience a superb live version of "Don't Want That Now," complimented by a firm pounding on percussion by Seattle-born Bob Husak. Equally sensational was a hip-wiggling rendition of "Vampire," again turning Chop Suey's main floor into a big ball of sweaty fun. Also on Friday's song roster were "Commit," "Magoo," "Modern Man," "Don't Bother Me," and a clap-along working of "Pistol Grip." Philip Benson, lead singer of supporting act Magic Bullets, spent nearly the entire Blakes' set moving anxiously onstage with a beer bottle in hand and a sweat-soaked plaid shirt clinging to his tall frame. Snow Keim put the show to rest with a moving solo performance that pretty much brought an otherwise hyper crowd to a standstill. Afterwards, The Blakes gathered friends, loyal supporters and family members backstage for champagne toasts to mark the end of a US tour and a bon voyage to France, where they were flying to within 48 hours. The Blakes are scheduled to perform at the High Dive in Seattle on March 8, and then head to Austin's SXSW Festival to play with Von Bondies.