Last night Nate and I headed into Pittsburgh to cover Cymbals Eat Guitars at the Brillobox. We had other stuff going on last night so we knew we would most likely miss the first opener and sure enough, we walked in just as they were finishing up. It was by far the busiest we had ever seen the venue but we made our way up to the stage just fine thanks to the laid-back and courteous crowd. After a relatively quick set-change, Mariage Blanc took the stage.

Like a lot of openers I’ve seen recently, they put on a really solid show — one that the headliner couldn’t quite follow. You’ll be able to see a full review of their show and EP on Pop Damage next week.

After Mariage Blanc and another set change came Cymbals Eat Guitars — a group of New Yorkers who strongly encourage ear plugs, and for good reason: they’re loud and angsty and in a venue like the Brillobox, they can’t help but be in your face about it.

While it may suit some, it didn’t suit us. We dashed out about half-way through their set and ended up running into Sam McUmber (Mariage Blanc’s keyboardist) outside his apartment. He was kind enough to give us a copy of their 2008 EP, Broken Record, to listen to on the way home, which made for a perfect post-show listen, even though we only recognized one song from their set (they mostly played from their soon-to-be released LP).

I snapped this shot on the way out of the Brillobox. It’s painted above the stairwell, visible only on the way out.