Brian Stewart, Growlers, Drums: Pelvic bone
Kyle Schuster, Growlers, Keyboards & Guitar: devil
Scott Montoya: Growlers, Bass: Scarab
Brooks Nielsen: Growlers, Vocals: Lil’ Clownie
Warren Thomas, Growlers, Bongos: Pelvic
Matt Vachon, Growlers, Guitar: The Moth Man
Chris Ziegler, L.A. Record Editor: A face…like somebody rolled in something dirty and then rolled their face on some paper
Christina Benson, L.A. Record Associate Editor: This looks like a Hawaiian Voodoo Goddess surrounding by people worshipping it and some eagles bringing it offerings
Bridget Dawson, Oh Sees, Vocals: Tapestry
John Dwyer, Oh Sees, Vocals & Guitar: Clown
Kevin Stewart, Crystal Antlers, Drums: My dad’s face
Sean Borman, Burger Records: Panda Bear
Lee Rickard, Burger Records: Owl
Micheal Quinn, Corridor/ Swahili Blonde,  Multi-Instrumentalist: Pumpkin
Mike Shoun, Oh Sees, Drums: Leon Trotsky combined with the skull of a bear
Marissa Paternoster, Screaming Females, Vocals & Guitar: Two women stabbing each other in the throat
Dan Collins, L.A. Record Music Editor: Like Predator, when he takes off his mask and he’s got those claw things, but a little different, like maybe it’s a metal guy who shaved his beard to look like that
Michael Abbate, Screaming Females, Bass: That is my dad
Joe McGarry, Pop Noir: Teeth
Luke McGarry, Pop Noir: A face
Bob Bruno, Best Coast, Guitar: Goblin
Allen Bleyle, Residual Echos/Happy Birthday, Bass: Cat
Preston Olsen, Woah Hunx, Guitar: Mike Tyson mixed with Luigi from the Mario Bros video game…and really mad in prison, actually.  Like he was in prison and then got fused with Luigi and he got really mad about it.
Cameron Crowe, Audacity, Bass: Presidential Seal
Gabriel Hart, Jail Weddings, Vocals: My own reflection 3 days ago.
Matt Eagleson, Jail Weddings, Piano: Have you ever had to do soul laundry?  Like, do you ever get a stain on your soul?  That’s what that looks like to me.
Jack Hutchings, Starving Daughters, Guitar: Creature climbing a wall
Ali Koehler, Best Coast, Drums: Looks like a dude, like, sitting…meditating…with weird baby carriges floating on either side
Jorge Davila, Davila 666, Guitar: smushed face
Angel Davila, Davila 666, Tamborine & Vocals: A Japanese Woman
Brandon Thomas, Future Ghosts, Vocals: Tiger
Jesse Clavin, Bleached, Bass: Some kind of skull, not a human skull…but some kind of skull…it’s very intense
Bennett Foster, Magic Kids, Vocals & Guitar: Monkey’s paw print
Stephen Pope, Wavves, Bass: A two faced cat, who’s spitting at me, but lovingly thinks spit is love, but it’s NOT…I don’t like you cat!
Bethany Cosentino, Best Coast, Guitar: Lungs
Jennifer Clavin, Cold Cave, Synths: A king sitting in a lake
Dane Chadwick, Abe Vigoda, Drums: Sort of a skull
Juan Velazquez, Abe Vigoda, Vocals & Guitar: A smashed up panda face
Brian Hill, Soft Pack, Drummer: You know the guy who’s transforming himself into the lion-man, or the tiger face? He got all the plastic surgery.  That’s the tiger face man!

Brian Stewart, Growlers, Drums: I see some butts and boobs
Kyle Schuster, Growlers, Keyboards & Guitar: I see some butts and boobs and a penis cross
Scott Montoya: Growlers, Bass: Balloons
Brooks Nielsen: Growlers, Vocals: Jellyfish
Warren Thomas, Growlers, Bongos: Psychedelic intestines
Matt Vachon, Growlers, Guitar: Diarrhea
Chris Ziegler, L.A. Record Editor: Splatter
Christina Benson, L.A. Record Associate Editor: Marshmallow puff guy from Ghostbusters if it flew against a window splattered
Bridget Dawson, Oh Sees, Vocals: Squid
John Dwyer, Oh Sees, Vocals & Guitar: Stain
Kevin Stewart, Crystal Antlers, Drums: A bunch of ink on a piece of white paper
Sean Borman, Burger Records: Wasp
Lee Rickard, Burger Records: Buddha
Micheal Quinn, Corridor/ Swahili Blonde,  Multi-Instrumentalist: Space Pumpkin
Mike Shoun, Oh Sees, Drums: Andromeda Galaxy Super Cluster
Marissa Paternoster, Screaming Females, Vocals & Guitar: Kid in black metal make-up, masterbating
Dan Collins, L.A. Record Music Editor: That one’s totally, like, a SOBE commercial.  First of all, I know these are supposed to be phallic, but it’s very phallic here at the bottom…a little chubby, but that’s cool.
Michael Abbate: Butterfly
Joe McGarry, Pop Noir: Brains
Luke McGarry, Pop Noir: A bunch of balloons
Bob Bruno, Best Coast, Guitar: Broccoli
Allen Bleyle, Residual Echos/Happy Birthday, Bass: Goat
Preston Olsen, Woah Hunx, Guitar: This kind of looks like a napkin that’s been laid in a coffee shop and a bunch of coffee just spilled on the napkin, and then  someone picked it up, and they stuck it on their friend’s back, and then their friend got mad and crashed their car.
Cameron Crowe, Audacity, Bass: Lion
Gabriel Hart, Jail Weddings, Vocals: The mess I made three days ago
Matt Eagleson, Jail Weddings, Piano: That looks like my cat when it gets super pissed and fuckin, takes a chunk out of my nose
Jack Hutchings, Starving Daughters, Guitar: Soapy bubbles
Ali Koehler, Best Coast, Drums: A guy wearing glasses with an atom bomb coming out of his head and spreading his legs, and a tree is growing out of his butt
Jorge Davila, Davila 666, Guitar: Star of some kind with dots around it
Angel Davila 666, Tamborine & Vocals: An alter, but very angry
Brandon Thomas, Future Ghosts, Vocals: Skull and cross-bones
Jesse Clavin, Bleached, Bass: Splattered paint around toad from Mario Cart hanging at the tip of the splattered paint.
Bennett Foster, Magic Kids, Vocals & Guitar: Blood
Stephen Pope, Wavves, Bass: That’s another cat that I’m even more allergic to!  That’s a long haired cat, and I can’t be around them.
Bethany Cosentino, Best Coast, Guitar: A mushroom
Jennifer Clavin, Cold Cave, Synths: A bouquet of flowers
Dane Chadwick, Abe Vigoda, Drums: I see a skull up top and kind of this alien-insect-bug thing
Juan Velazquez, Abe Vigoda, Vocals & Guitar: Genital warts
Brian Hill, Soft Pack, Drummer: That one almost has a zebra face, but it has all these dots around it, but I see a zebra face in the middle of it.

Good/Common answer: Bat, butterfly, female figure (in the center), moth
You may be a little paranoid if you see: Mask, animal face, jack o lantern
Bad answer:Anything insulting about the female figure (it is an indicator of your own body image)”

Brian Stewart, Growlers, Drums: tarantula
Kyle Schuster, Growlers, Keyboards & Guitar: manta ray
Scott Montoya, Growlers, Bass: Donkey
Brooks Nielsen, Growlers, Vocals: Crackhead rocks
Warren Thomas, Growlers, Bongos: flying wolf-hawk…two of em’
Matt Vachon, Growlers, Guitar: Goat
Chris Ziegler, L.A. Record Editor: Pelvis bone and a tail bone
Christina Benson, L.A. Record Associate Editor: Bat
Bridget Dawson, Oh Sees, Vocals: Wolf
John Dwyer, Oh Sees, Vocals & Guitar: Yoda
Kevin Stewart, Crystal Antlers, Drums: A Halloween costume of a wild boar
Sean Borman, Burger Records: War Hog
Lee Rickard, Burger Records: Satan
Micheal Quinn, Corridor/ Swahili Blonde, Multi-Instrumentalist: Hordak from She-Ra
Mike Shoun, Oh Sees, Drums: A smushed bat on hwy 95 in Arizona
Marissa Paternoster, Screaming Females, Vocals & Guitar: Your parents having sex
Dan Collins, L.A. Record Music Editor:  That looks like the front view of a post Apocalyptic hover craft covered in dust that’s coming at you.  There’s a guy, you can’t see him, but he’s sitting down there, maybe these are controls he’s holding, and he’s gonna get you, because he needs the juice.
Michael Abbate, Screaming Females, Bass: Female reproductive system
Joe McGarry, Pop Noir: Jet ski
Luke McGarry, Pop Noir: Two dogs
Bob Bruno, Best Coast, Guitar: Elephant
Allen Bleyle, Residual Echos/Happy Birthday, Bass: Moth/Butterfly hybrid
Preston Olsen, Woah Hunx, Guitar: It looks like the main older gentleman from Fiddler on the Roof, and he’s holding a doppelganger of himself and dancing with his hand back, and they’re both twirling on what looks to be a pogo stick
Cameron Crowe, Audacity, Bass: Satanic Tarot card
Gabriel Hart, Jail Weddings, Vocals: The demon’s head I saw  when I was fourteen except there was thousands of them that took up my whole peripheral vision
Matt Eagleson, Jail Weddings, Piano:The millennium falcon
Jack Hutchings, Starving Daughters, Guitar: Bat
Ali Koehler, Best Coast, Drums: A beetle with two Santa Clauses dancing, holding on to its antennas
Jorge Davila, Davila 666, Guitar: Bird mask
Angel Davila, Davila 666, Tamborine & Vocals: A fox face
Brandon Thomas, Future Ghosts, Vocals: Jack-o-lantern
Jesse Clavin, Bleached, Bass: A bat
Bennett Foster, Magic Kids, Vocals & Guitar: Pelvis
Stephen Pope, Wavves, Bass: Oh my god!  That’s Bennet [Foster of Magic Kids] in the dream I had.  We took acid together and just fucked each other for hours and all these colors bursted out of our cocks and out of our eyeballs and we loved each other and then his girlfriend got mad at me
Bethany Cosentino, Best Coast, Guitar: Two birds touching claws
Jennifer Clavin, Cold Cave, Synths: Clowns on, like, the teacup ride at Disneyland
Dane Chadwick, Abe Vigoda, Drums: Very dark…It’s almost like war pigs or something.  I don’t know I’m getting, like, this weird…like if a pig were to go to war and it wore this mask, this is the mask it’d wear…like a metal face plate
Juan Velazquez, Abe Vigoda, Vocals & Guitar: In the middle is a scarab and on the sides are these two dancers
Brian Hill, Soft Pack, Drummer: Taranchula
You should see this image as: Two human-like forms (females or clowns)
Other good/Common answers:Butterfly, cave entrance”

Brian Stewart, Growlers: Teen Wolf
Kyle Schuster, Growlers: A bunny rabbit of Brian [Stewart]
Scott Montoya: Growlers: Sad Pac-Man
Brooks Nielsen: Growlers: Two fat Shriners drinking beers
Warren Thomas, Growlers, Bongos: Looks like the Cookie Monster if he lit his face on fire
Matt Vachon, Growlers, Guitar: House with a face…laughing at me
Chris Ziegler, L.A. Record Editor: Two dudes high-fiving each other
Christina Benson, L.A. Record Associate Editor: Scary face
Bridget Dawson, Oh Sees, Vocals: Monster
John Dwyer, Oh Sees, Vocals & Guitar: Maple Leaf…Canada!
Kevin Stewart, Crystal Antlers, Drums: A guy reaching his hands out, and he’s wearing a dress
Sean Borman, Burger Records: Those guys from Secret of Mana, a video game I used to play
Lee Rickard, Burger Records: Wolf
Micheal Quinn, Corridor/ Swahili Blonde, Multi-Instrumentalist: Grimace from McDonalds
Mike Shoun, Oh Sees, Drums: Japanese rabbit thing
Marissa Paternoster, Screaming Females, Vocals & Guitar: One of those ghosts from Pac-Man
Dan Collins, L.A. Record Music Editor: That is the grim bear of death…he’s like, “Oh bother” but he’s gonna swallow your soul
Michael Abbate, Screaming Females, Bass: That’s my dad again
Joe McGarry, Pop Noir: Pac-Man ghosts
Luke McGarry, Pop Noir: Two clowns on a round-a-bout
Bob Bruno, Best Coast, Guitar: Space invader
Allen Bleyle, Residual Echos/Happy Birthday, Bass: Satanic Castle
Preston Olsen, Woah Hunx, Guitar: It kinda looks like a drooping Garfield, like he ate a bunch of Lasagna and it was so hot it melted his mouth open extra wide, so he’s in a lot of pain.
Cameron Crowe, Audacity, Bass: Two old men playing checkers
Gabriel Hart, Jail Weddings, Vocals: A monster that’s going to  soothe me in some way
Matt Eagleson, Jail Weddings, Piano: also, the millennium falcon, but this time with Indiana Jones inside
Jack Hutchings, Starving Daughters, Guitar: A beheaded monster
Ali Koehler, Best Coast, Drums: Two weird goose humans playing patty cake
Angel Davila, Davila 666, Tamborine & Vocals: A Cartoon from Adult Swim
Jorge Davila, Davila 666, Guitar: Two clowns playing patty cake
Brandon Thomas, Future Ghosts, Vocals: Skull
Jesse Clavin, Bleached, Bass: I just see a crying animated creature that wants to, like, NOT be animated anymore, it’s like “I’M HUMAN!”
Bennett Foster, Magic Kids, Vocals & Guitar: A different kind of Pelvis
Stephen Pope, Wavves, Bass: That’s my mom.  Hey mom, I love you!
Bethany Cosentino, Best Coast, Guitar: Two jokers high-fiving
Jennifer Clavin, Cold Cave, Synths: Also clowns, high-fiving
Dane Chadwick, Abe Vigoda, Drums: Rocket taking off back in time somewhere.
Juan Velazquez, Abe Vigoda, Vocals & Guitar: A vagina
Brian Hill, Soft Pack, Drummer: Two dudes, wearing fezes, that are dancing, and they’re high-fiving

The Pop Noir brothers stopped by the L.A. RECORD booth at FYF Fest 2010 and showed some family appreciation.

Still Life Still were clearing the stage to make way for the headliners as we walked in, so we ambled upstairs to the VIP lounge for a drink. After we’d had our fill of complimentary champagne and beluga caviar—which you would know is a standard perk had YOU ever been in the VIP lounge—we went back down amongst the hoi polloi and waited for the lights to dim.

The (damn-near) capacity crowd cheered every tour manager, PR flack and odd-job guy that descended the dressing room staircase in their eagerness for Wild Beasts to emerge, and they eventually did, blinking and stumbling around the stage like newborn deer.

I noticed then that everyone in the venue had their pants tucked in to their shoes …

… except lead guitarist Ben Little, who only had on socks. Wild Beasts kicked off the first date of their North American tour, as well as their first-ever Los Angeles show, with a brilliant version of “The Fun Powder Plot”, followed by latest single “We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues”, never straying too far from the recorded versions. “All The King’s Men” elicited the most hooting and howling (geddit, Beast-watchers?) of the night… and, hands up, it is a really good song.

Chris Talbot’s clicky-clacky drumming provided the backbone to each number’s wild and beastly groove, fomenting a sea of nodding heads, pumping fists and a smattering of undulating hippie hands! Frontmen Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming traded instruments and vocal duties on a song-by-song basis, shared a bit of shy audience banter, and seemed genuinely touched by L.A.’s warm reception.

If there were any slow points in the set, they’d be the one or two… let’s say “atmospheric” … waltzes, but when you have that captive an audience, a bit of self-indulgence is allowed. Personal highlights would have to be “Two Dancers”, where the lyric “dancing cock” always makes us chuckle, and encore “The Devil’s Crayon”, the big single off their debut album. I think it’s safe to say they’re our fauve new band! (Another pun. Google it. Damn, we’re clever.)

—Pop Noir (art and words)