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The Dandy Warhols’ continued existence must be a heartening one to see for any band, since they show that one hit can essentially set a band for life commercially and creatively. With “Bohemian Like You”, the Warhols found a devoted fanbase that can keep them thriving without ever needing to compromise their artistic vision. Which, I think you’ll agree, is not bad considering that the Warhols are formed for no loftier reason than because the band members “needed music to drink to”.
The band was formed by lead singer and rhythm guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and lead guitarist Peter Holmström. After hiring Eric Hedford as their drummer, the band experimented with a number of different bassists, including Taylor-Taylor’s girlfriend, and none of them worked out. The band were at a loss for what to do until Taylor-Taylor saw Zia McCabe working in a Coffee Shop. He immediately asked if she was musical, and when she replied that she had a background in dance and performing arts, Taylor-Taylor took that to be good enough and put her on keyboards.
McCabe took to the instrument like a duck to water and the band immediately began gigging around the bars and clubs of Portland. At their very first gig they were spotted by Tim/Kerr Records, who offered to finance the recording of a full length album. The band eagerly accepted this and by 1995, their debut album “Dandy’s Rule OK” was released, which was enough of a hit under and overground that they were able to catch the attention of Capitol Records, who signed them to release their second attempt at a follow up, 1997’s “…The Dandy Warhols Come Down”.
Their first attempt at their sophomore record was canned by Capitol for “not having any hits”, clearly the band took that to heart as “…Come Down” had three songs that entered the UK Top 40 and saw them poised to become the world’s newest rock superstars before The Strokes had even thought of ripping off Tom Petty’s “American Girl”. Nothing could stop them, not even the departure of Hedford in 1998 over a dispute about royalties, as Taylor-Taylor’s recruited his cousin Brent DeBoer to fill in for him, a role which he still has to this day.
2000 was the year that their momentum capitalised. Their album “Thirteen Tales Of Urban Bohemia” was released and suddenly they became the hottest new band on the planet. “Bohemian Like You” went to number 5 in the UK on the back of a Vodaphone ad campaign. They played a set at Glastonbury Festival which the actual David frickin’ Bowie watched and became an avid fan afterwards. The band were later personally asked by The Dame to support him on his 2003 world tour and their follow up album “Tales From The Monkey House” was produced by Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes.
Ever since then, the band have become cult icons in their own right. Known and loved for their spectacular live shows and idiosyncratic, sometimes hilarious lyricism (“I Never Thought You’d Be A Junkie / Because Heroin Is So Passé, indeed). The casual observer might write them off as a bunch of one-hit wonders but they are so much more than that, and they come highly recommended because of it.
Live reviews
I grew up in the 90's. It was a great time for music. Sadly, many of my favorite bands from that era are no longer around. Lucky for me, The Dandy Warhols do not fall into that category. I have never seen them perform. The closest I got was seeing them perform live on TV. When I learned they were coming to my city, I was very excited. I was able to get a few tickets for me and some friends. This is not the type of show you want to experience alone.
The venue was rather small. I guess you would call it an intimate setting. It was still nice though. When I walked to my seat, I had noticed the band was already set up and ready. They started playing within minutes of me finding my seat. I didn't have time to catch my breath. Their show was intense. They played a lot of their earlier songs. They sounded amazing live. Towards the end of the show, they played some new music. I really liked the new songs. I wasn't able to sing along with the crowd though. I tried to fake it though. It was such a fun show. I hope they come back soon.
Portland rockers The Dandy Warhols do not only have one of the best names on the circuit, but also one of the best live shows. Their fanbase holds them in such high acclaim and are constantly recommending you go and see them live to new converts. Therefore the quartet finds themselves playing on larger stages to consistently growing crowds although they manage to maintain a really personable atmosphere within their venue.
They continue to be very laid back onstage and have a really warm manner when chatting to the crowds, telling them stories about their formation and the way songs came about. Hand selecting the very best music from across their discography, each musician demonstrates his respective abilities and the audience goes wild during the conclusion of every single track. The largest reaction of the evening is reserved for an extended version of 'Godless' from the third LP 'Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia' which really proves them to be a driving force in rock.
sean-ward
This was the first time I've seen the Dandy Warhols live. Since it's pretty common for bands to have a different vibe in person, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoy their music, so I was sure I'd enjoy their performance. Before the show started, I met a very pleasant young lady who was seeing them for the sixth time. She described Dandy Warhols' live shows as being a "spiritual experience". In the moment, I mostly wrote off her praise as overly gushing fanspeak, but then the show started and I found out that she was right. This was easily the best music I've ever heard at a concert. The Dandy Warhols are easily 10 times better live, then they are on a recording. If you're a fan of their music, do whatever you have to in order to see them live. You absolutely won't regret it. I will definitely go see them again. And yes, it was, in a very real way, a spiritual experience.
brotherwolfe
Deux jours avant de se produire à Paris, les DW ont fait escale à Rennes et Rennes n'est pas restée insensible à ce privilège.
Forcément, les DW s'y entendent pour faire monter la sauce, sans artifice, et la salle est tranquillement montée en température.
Jusqu'à l'enchaînement des classiques que tout le monde attendait pour sauter sur "A bohemian like you", amené par un "Godless" d'une profondeur diabolique mais aussi un "The last high" taillé pour dérider les plus réservés.
On sort conquis, mais avec un soupçon de regret : une heure et cinquante minutes de show, mais surtout aucun rappel... On aurait bien repris deux-trois tournées pour la route. Il paraît que c'est la tendance générale mais impossible de se résigner à des fins aussi brutales !
HoppaPolli
If you've seen DIG! you'll know what to expect, if you haven't seen it, rent/borrow/download and sit back for a terrific insight into The Dandy Warhols back story. Live - they're polished, tight and loads of fun. The Dandy's seem to really enjoy being on tour, and the crowd (on 5th July) were over-joyed to have them. The venue was a great size (about 1k capacity) and the line of sight to the stage from the bar on the left hand side was pretty good. The quality of the sound was stellar and there was a roof raising cameo from a flute player who used to play with Adam and the Ants. The set list had lots of classics - including Last High, Bohemian Like You and Godless.
Really recommend seeing The Dandy Warhols live - a good time guaranteed.
kaybar007
The sound levels was a bit off during the beginning of the concert. Which is really annoying. But once that changed the concert was a blast. I loved how Zia was really happy when a fan put up this sign: https://www.instagram.com/p/BtHm7iihhKo/?igshid=4faq8ee102kj
I really enjoyed all the songs and it reminded me to listen to some earlier records again. They celebrated their 25 year of doing LIVE concerts and I got reminded about how old I am.
In some the new songs you can hear their familiar sound of the records released in the Nineties.
douwe.jong
The Dandy Warhols played a great set, in a wonderful, cozy location in Maastricht, Netherlands.
There was little discussion and lots of music in the set, with an almost non-stop groove from beginning to end.
The crowd was engaged and appeared to enjoy the music, being more involved with the more famous tracts than the less, as is typical.
Kudos for them to come to a small venue and share their talent and music with the same energy that they've demonstrated in much larger venues.
All in all, a great concert and a great experience!
Ribonig
Always been a fan of them but had never seen them live. We were on holiday in Prague the weekend they were playing so it seemed like a good time to finally catch them.
The venue is lovely, great bar, natural split between crowd and the bar so easy to slip out for a drink. The stage is huge with a round bit sticking out that really digs into the audience, especially as the Dandy's didn't use this blank space.
They've still got it, a couple of crowd pleaser and a set of interesting sounds, the gig flew by. Great night.
terrysaunders
The gig was excellent, it was exactly what you would expect from the Dandy Warhols. Great songs and mood...
On the down side once again the Belgian Concert goers where disappointing, there was no energy and this had nothing to do with the Dandy Warhols, the Belgian crowd never moves, dances or sings... They just clap and whistle in the end of every song. I really don't get them... The most de-motivating thing in the Belgian live scene is the crowd that usually attends. Weird hehhhh....
Karavasileiadis
Excellent show. Fantastic arrangements and acoustics. Even the first intro bands were very good. If you can see them, do so. It is an experience of a lifetime. I didn’t stay for the after party but they did mention it. Every song was great but you can only do so many sets. This is a very prolific band so it must be difficult to select what songs to play since they have so many good ones . I bought the tickets as soon as they went on sale months ago and it was well worth the wait.
pablo-velarde
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