After the sheer chaos and wall to wall humanity of last weekís Muse show at popscene, it was nice to have a gig where everyone who wanted to see the band got in and had space to breathe. Last night brought NYCís Ambulance Ltd. into town and onto the popscene stage. Rave reviews preceded their arrival, with people abuzz after their show in Los Angeles the night prior, so I was anticipating checking the boys from Brooklyn. They lived up to the billing and more.
Although their set got off to a bit of a rocky start as they were announced on stage and the crowd cheered but they were a member short. A minute later all was good and they kicked off their 35-minute set. Refreshingly not deafeningly loud, Ambulance instead relied on their quality of songwriting to wow the crowd, not their bluster. It worked to perfection, as their Beatle-esque tunes, updated for the 21st century with washy guitars, won over the neophytes, while further stoking the fires of the already converted. The harmonies between singer Marcus Congleton and bassist Matt Dublin helped make Ambulance stand out, showing these boys were no flash in the pan; strong songs, stronger vocals and a gracious attitude had the crowd dancing and learning all about a new band to love. These kids are still on the road for a few more dates, so if you have the opportunity to see them live, donít let it pass you by.
