Having ended their self-imposed hiatus after a couple of years away, Rx Bandits have returned as a musical force unmatched in the current ‘scene’.
In addition to releasing another stellar album, Gemini, Her Majesty, earlier this month, the band is also out on another national tour with the Dear Hunter and From Indian Lakes.
The tour brought RXB to the hallowed halls of the Fillmore in San Francisco on Thursday, August 8th – and they definitely delivered. Despite having spent the past couple of years away from “active duty” as the Bandits, you wouldn’t know it judging by the show. They haven’t lost a beat whatsoever.
As hyperbolic as it may sound, the Bandits have always excelled live into the realm of transcendence – the intimacy and white-hot energy between musicians and fans swelling into a palpable and relentless rhythm for nearly two hours.
After strong opening sets by From Indian Lakes and the heavily bearded The Dear Hunter, RXB took the stage and charged through a set heavy on Gemini tracks as well as old standards (going back as far as 2003’s The Resignation).
With a big, pulsating light display blasting the initials ‘R X’ throughout the venue ( the first time I can remember the band employing such on-stage art direction), the night was a celebration of rebirth, a rekindling of the flames ignited by the band more than a decade ago.
Songs such as In Her Drawer, Apparition, Only For the Night, …And the Battle Begun, Decrescendo and Crushing Destroyer meshed seamlessly with new anthems Ruby Cumulous, Stargazer, Future Buddy and 1995. Again, that’s a testament to their creative power – most reformed bands either don’t create new music at all or do so without fully capturing the ‘lightning in a bottle’ aspect of their past recordings.
But as stated earlier in this admittedly gushing review, Rx Bandits are not “most reformed bands”.
Rather, they’re a singular force, blending genre (rock, alternative, prog-rock and ‘groove-tech’) into a sound and style all their own. This leads to the frenetic, unrivaled live shows, and the night at the Fillmore was no exception.
Welcome back, guys.
Go pick up Gemini, Her Majesty from the band on tour or via their website.
—– Cheese Sandwich
