Opening act A Million Years is on stage and well into their set, after arriving to the what I consider one of NYC’s best venues, the Bowery Ballroom. After spiking my cola beverage in the bathroom I get a chance to check out their act, four youngish fellows with the standard band structure: guitar, bass, drums, and singer/guitarist. They feature some repetitive solos, reverb soaked vocals by their crooning singer pulling double duty on tambourine and guitar. I saw three full songs and by the end I realized they had a very Bloc Party sound (remember them?) and were a good fit to open for Longwave, even if they did feel a bit like proteges. They packed the joint for an opening act and a highlight of their set came at the end when Longwave’s drummer, Jason Molina, joined them on stage to help pound out their final song.

Next up was Australia’s the Grates – A four piece act helmed by an exuberant blonde locked lady in an bedazzled ice-skater unitard. Their sound consisted of steady-as-she-goes drumming backing some sparse synth lines which helped bolster the tinny garage guitars. These guys seemed a bit more spectacle than substance, between the singer’s skimpy outfit, a few too many stolen cues from Karen O, and her mid-set foray into the crowd to sing on a male fan’s shoulders while waving one of those gymnastic floor performer flags. Her pogo-ing and skanking dance moves also got a bit tired by the end of their rather long set. Perhaps an appropriate name change for them would be to “the O.K.’s.” I was certainly ready for the night’s main course by the time the were finished playing.

Longwave are a solid rock band in a time of trendy buzz acts and bands that pander to the crowds. They have been doing their thing for 10 years now and a couple songs into the set they announced that this would be their last show for a while (aka an indefinite hiatus). The set was solid the whole way through, just like every time I’ve seen them, playing old favorites and much of their newest album, released last year. Their songs are a perfect balance of delicate, intricate guitars backed by spot on drumming you could set a watch by, and a chugging, high in the mix bass. Singer/guitar-whiz Steve Schiltz really knows how to work his instrument while taking his voice up and down the scale – not unlike his fingers on one of the many solos he goes on during the show. One of the best ways to describe their sound is a more accessible form of shoegaze, that isn’t afraid to be poppy.

In very much the vein of Longwave’s music and career arc, right before they hit the stage I witnessed one of the most subtle yet rockstar moves yet – opening a bottle of beer with bottle of water, effortlessly. I’ve heard some people rag on Longwave for being a bit formulaic and that songs sound a bit similar- whatever kind of formula they have it works, and sounds damn good on my ears. The Bowery was nice and filled for them and had impeccable sound, as well as a special lighting rig set up for the band which were really cool in practice. This show seems a long time in the making, as far as Longwave coming a long ways from their humble New York beginnings and a very great way to close this chapter, for the time being, we can only hope they pick back up where they left off sooner than later.

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New York