[Review] Hanni El Khatib w/ Bass Drum of Death & Bad Cop

Hanni El Khatib. Photo by Jake Giles Netter.

Hanni El Khatib w/ Bass Drum of Death and Bad Cop
Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN
October 15, 2013
Review by Amber Davis (@amber_davis17)

Gritty, dirty guitar wails that hit you in the gut and make you scream for more. That sums up October 15 at Mercy Lounge with Hanni El Khatib, Bass Drum of Death, and Bad Cop.

From overheard murmurs, we can tell everyone approved of Bad Cop’s energy. Check out our preview where we mention Bad Cop here. Heading upstairs we joined the smokers. Pat Carney of The Black Keys and his brother caught our eyes from the corner of the patio. We’re not surprised to see him supporting Hanni El Khatib as Carney’s bandmate Dan Auerbach produced his latest album.

From the patio we hear Bass Drum of Death taking to the stage with random screaming notes to catch the crowds attention. People outside tossed their half lit cigarettes and swarmed to the stage inside. Bass Drum of Death took us back to the late 80s – early 90s era punk and grunge scene. Bass Drum is the bastard love child of Sonic Youth meets Nirvana. Their song “No Demons,” hits strongly on a Nirvana influence. They are disoriented in the most perfect way possible. Bass Drum of Death is taking the revival of early ‘90s grunge and making it their own.

Their duo guitars and in-your-face drumming had Nashville swaying as much as physically possible before looking uncool. Some attendees had plastered smiles on their faces while screaming lyrics.

Bass Drum of Death ended their set with ear-shattering high frequencies. Soon after Hanni El Khatib took to the stage. The lonely stragglers in the back of Mercy Lounge finally made their way up as El Khatib shredded his first notes. He played some new tunes, which not surprisingly resemble a peppier version of The Black Keys. The genuine side of Hanni shines when he sings Penny, where his passion for blues-rock makes speakers bleed during his fuzzy guitar solos.

Hanni El Khatib gave the audience a poetic encore, as he opened the song solo before the rest of the band joined him for an intense climax.

Hanni El Khatib Set List:
Head in the Dirt
Nobody Move
Build Destroy Rebuild
Can’t Win Em All
Human Fly
Sinking in the Sand
Penny
Skinny Little Girl
Low
Loved One
Pay to Mind
Dead Wrong
Save Me
You Rascal You
F–k it, You Win
Family