The Blue Angel Lounge @ Wonder Ballroom 05/04/2012
First rule of The Wonder Ballroom: get there early or have your tickets in hand. Waiting in line for will-call and jumping over to the main entrance line is no fun, especially when it’s a 21+ show and no one has their IDs ready. Now that I’ve had my peace, let’s get down to business.
The Blue Angel Lounge was handpicked by Anton Newcombe (leader of The Brian Jonestown Massacre) for the U.S. portion of their current worldwide tour. Hailing from Hagen, Germany (roughly 5 hours west of Berlin) the experimental psych group nearly puts you in a trance with their bending of time and space.
Beginning promptly at 9pm, The Blue Angel Lounge took the stage with authority and grace. The crowd anxiously awaited the first notes from the mysterious group of gentleman and rightfully so. Besides the typical heavy-hitters like The Black Angels and Dead Meadow, The Blue Angel Lounge was the most talked about band at Austin Psych Fest this year. The balance between the drony and melodic hooks, as well as the enchanting vocals of Nils Ottensmeyer, pulled you in and somehow made you forget about everyone and everything around you.
With two full-lengths under their belts and a brand new EP out earlier this month, if you’re lucky enough to catch one of their entrancingly beautiful shows, please do so. You won’t regret it.
Words by Wendy Worzalla. Photos by Mike Herman.