NOISE POP 2013: The Fresh & Onlys + R. Stevie Moore @ Bottom Of The Hill, SF 2/27/13

R. Stevie Moore started making music long before most of the crowd at Bottom Of The Hill was born, but that didn’t stop the lo-fi legend from kickin’ ass all over the stage. Some of his wit may have been lost to the crowd, but his punk rock style and his band’s stage kicks kept everyone hyped and in awe. After his opening number, RSM yelled out at the audience, “where’s my bitches at?” (Cue laugh track.) RSM’s antics and hilarities did not end there. At the end of “Play Myself Some Music,” he sang, “she blinded me with silence.” ’80s joke! Get it?

Sporting his clip-on shades after taking a seat and wiping his brow, RSM came at the crowd with more classics, and at one point collapsed and remained lying on the floor of the stage writhing around for awhile. It was beautiful! He and the band hit the pinnacle after their very brief intermission, when RSM declared, “bring me the head of Jack White.” He then contemplated the feelings of the doll head attached to his bass guitar’s top tuning peg and kicked out a couple more jams.

How can any band follow that act? With some help from the local fans, paying respect to the great R. Stevie Moore, and the lead singer, Tim Cohen, walking out on stage wearing a Buzzcocks t-shirt. The Fresh & Onlys were stoked to be following up RSM and, of course, to play for their San Francisco fans.

Bottom Of The Hill was packed to the gills, but everyone seemed to make enough room to truly get into the band’s raw garage rock, oh yeah, and Tim Cohen’s jests. After “20 Days & 20 Nights,” Cohen said, “We’re The Fresh & Onlys, we’re from San Francisco, we’re playing right now” to a huge round of hoots and hollers, but no rounds of Fireball.

The band continued to keep the crowd into it with killer versions of “Waterfall” and “Dream Girls,” but a show to the local fans just wouldn’t be right without playing a song about San Francisco, so bring on “Fog Machine.” From wanting to do a “hug thing” to attempting to convince Bottom Of The Hill they should serve Fireball, Cohen did his share to keep everyone in it as well. The Fresh & Onlys live never disappoints, and on this second night of Noise Pop, they had every fan enamored.

Check out all the awesome photos from the night HERE.