Dirty Beaches

Alex Zhang Hungtai, also known by his stage name Dirty Beaches, is a very eccentric man. He lives his life like he's in the 1950s, wearing clothes reminiscent of those worn by greasers and beatniks. He also slicks his hair back and takes cues from Elvis Presley when it comes to his stage presence. The music he makes is also that of the 1950s. It is mostly an even more-so lo-fi take on rockabilly music with a rough, experimental edge.

He first began as a one-man band, using sampling in his recordings as well as when he played live onstage. Once he was able to take on music full-time, he began adding members to the Dirty Beaches collective. These days, you can catch them playing at small, seedy clubs. These venues are perfect for this sort of music, because the music lends itself to this atmosphere.

The stage is either nonexistent, or just big enough for the band to be on. Either way, Alex always makes a point to go into the crowd and play his guitar while the people surround him as the cheer. While they also play at big outdoor events, like the Pitchfork Festival, it is best to catch the band playing when they perform indoors, and preferably in a small room. The smaller the better. The music can't really be enjoyed any other way.

It was not Dirty Beaches actually. It would have been good to know it was his new group and would not be playing anything remotely close to Dirty Beaches.
Next time Songkick could inform the person that the artist formerly known as Dirty Beaches would be playing.