Die Die Die Opens for Wire American Express' River To River Music Festival South Street Seaport May 30th 2008 Written by Amy Davidson and Phil Gordon Photographed by Amy Davidson Opposite Photo: Wire

The American Express sponsored River to River Festival is back in full swing. The summer series brings music, art and dance to venues all around the city. The bands are mostly up-and-comers on the verge of breakout like last years performance by The National coupled with more seasoned acts such as this year's Sonic Youth who will play a free show at Battery Park on July 4th.

Wire

One of our favorite events is music at the Seaport. The SSS is a great place to unwind with a beer and some live music after a long week. AND YOU CAN'T BEAT THE PRICE.

Die Die Die

Die Die Die opened the 2008 River to River Fest's seaport series. Currently on tour with Wire, this young trio from New Zealand has a lot to live up to. Which, in my humble opinion, they did. Frontman Andrew Wilson's initial nervous energy which even he commented on, was masterfully channeled into one wild set. Some of which was played in the audience. Their sound mixes punk with sharp melodies and heavy bass lines. Expect to hear a lot more from this band in the future.

As a fan of Wire who for some reason never saw them live, I was excited that they were playing South Street Seaport…for free. I knew it would get every hipster denizen and us older fans out of the woodwork, and both factions were out in force. This was a good thing as I think the band's energetic performance fed off the crowd. To be honest, I'm not familiar with Wire's new material, but by the third or fourth number, they were really hitting a groove. Not the spiky groove of old, but bands change and evolve, which is a healthy thing. Long time guitarist Bruce Gilbert left the band and Magaret Fiedler McGinnis (late of Laika and PJ Harvey's band) ably filled in with some nice textural playing. We were rewarded during the encores with some older nuggets including a slightly different take on '12XU'. A great start to the musical summer season. Well done.

Die Die Die

For more information about the bands, click here for Die Die Die and here for Wire. For more information about American Express' River to River Festival, click here.