The Shaky Hands Live
Tuesday night I saw The Shaky Hands at The Hemlock bar in San Francisco. The indie rock band from Portland revisited SF having been here just about a year ago. If you haven’t heard of The Shaky Hands, they are reminiscent of 60s British rock in my opinion: The Who and the Kinks.
I first stumbled upon The Shaky Hands on Hypem, another indie rock music website, about nine months ago, just after they last played here. “I’m Alive” and “Sunburns” hooked me after one listen. Nick Delff, The Shaky Hands frontman, has a memorable voice: raspy, loud, and frenetic.
Nick Delffs - The Shaky Hands
The Hemlock was an interesting venue for the concert. It was in the backroom of the bar up a few steps. The room maybe held 40 people, with about 1/3 able to sit on a wooden bench lining the far wall. The intimate atmosphere, which I am very fond of, was ideal for the lineup.
The Shaky Hands were accompanied by 2 Canadian indie rock bands: Ohbijou, an indie pop band from Toronto and the Acorns from Ottawa. My girlfriend and I only stayed for the opener, Ohbijou, and The Shaky Hands. By then it was already past 11pm and we both had a long next day ahead of us.
Now the important question… How were The Shaky Hands? They rocked! Except for “I’m Alive” (so happy I heard it live) and an unfamiliar cover by Neil Young, which they tend to do, they played all new songs off their 2008 album Lunglight. Although unfamiliar with their new material besides a few play-throughs during work, I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely recommend seeing The Shaky Hands to anyone who has the chance.
