Hockey - Mercury Lounge - August 10, 2009

We've been having a very mild summer on this side of the pond, barely reaching 85 degrees on a daily basis. But on August 10th, the real feel temperature soared over 100 degrees, which made for a very sticky evening at Mercury Lounge with four bands on the bill!

When we arrived at Merc, there was a line a good 30 people deep hoping to score a ticket to the sold out show, something rarely seen at Merc, and we've even seen The Fratellis there! That alone is a sign of good (no, great) things to come for Portland's Hockey!

Hockey are our new favorite band. Or are they our favorite new band? I think it's both. It's not very often that we get this excited about a new band (let alone, an American band), but we here at NYC2LON are pleased as punch with our new discovery. Hockey have a fresh take on old sounds. A little bit country? Check. A little bit rock n roll? Check. A little bit...hip hop? Yep. They manage to combine genres (sometimes within the same song) without sounding like they're trying too hard (or sounding ridiculous). It was 100 degrees outside, and the inside of Mercury Lounge was a sweatbox, but that didn't stop the sold out crowd from making it sweatier.

And if you don't believe us, you'll have to see them yourself to find out. They have a few tour dates left in the States, but are then heading east to conquer the UK. We have a feeling they're gonna pull a Kings of Leon and become a huge band in Europe and then next thing you know, they'll be headlining Madison Square Garden!

You should definitely Listen If You Like (LiYL): Disco, Bruce Springsteen, Duran Duran's 'Hungry Like the Wolf', Bob Dylan, Razorlight, and/or Vampire Weekend. Their debut album, Mind Chaos, is out September 21st (UK)/October 6 (US)!