Live: MINKS @ The Satellite, 2.17.11

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All photos by David Greenwald

MINKS have done their best to stay out of the buzz-band limelight so far. Among the New York band’s revelations: a blog full of black-and-white photos of anything but its members, a press bio mostly detailing their single releases and a debut album distanced by the evocative veneer of reverb. On Thursday night, with the Satellite’s traditional backdrop shimmering behind them, the six-piece act stepped out from behind the curtain to staggering effect. Skipping debut album By the Hedge‘s experimental moments, songs such as “Ophelia” and “Cemetery Rain” emerged as direct, muscular New Wave efforts as MINKS zipped through a teasingly short set. Dressed nearly in all black, the group could’ve been the butt of a Ben Folds lyric, but the Cure’s goth influence suited them — especially frontman Sean Kilfoyle, who offered greasy hair and hinted disdain alongside his vocals and guitar stabs.

Given the moderate crowd and By the Hedge‘s only semi-enthusiastic reception, it’s easy to worry that MINKS will follow the career path of a band like the Clientele — masters of their sonic domain and routine masterpiece-makers who never seem to break through to the levels of trendier, less distinctive acts. Things could be worse: for those smart or lucky enough to make the scene on Thursday, having the band all to ourselves was amazing enough.