If you were at Firebird last night, you got a little taste of the Brooklyn music scene. You also got what felt very much like a homecoming show for the headliner.
White Rabbits, a band who got its start at Mizzou, came across as catchy and technically proficient on their album It's Frightening. The album was good, but if I'm being honest, it struck me as neither exceptional nor memorable.
The show last night blew me away and unseated Matt&Kim for the best show I've seen in 2009.
The short set was tight, and though there were a lot of musicians on stage, their sound wasn't muddy and none of the musicians stepped on each other's toes. They played songs that I recognized from the new album--Percussion Gun, Company I keep, and Midnight and I were standouts--but they also managed to pull out what I could only assume was some older stuff. They were engaging and kept the crowd interested. I rarely say this, but I could've done with a smidge more crowd interaction. The length of the set didn't lend itself to much banter, but they sometimes didn't pause between songs--something that is always a little off-putting for me when I want to clap.
There were two opening acts--one of which I really dug (Suckers) and one of which (Glass Ghost) didn't really work for me.
I give Glass Ghost an 'A' for effort--they played bulk of their set with a singer/keyboard player and a drummer. But the singer just didn't "sell it" in a way that convinced me he was anything more than either disinterested or terrified. I am curious to hear the album, though, to see if their setup works better that way.
I loved (loved!) Suckers. Read this article to get the gist of why they're so awesome. My husband and I thought they sounded a little bit like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah or TV on the Radio. Their music was interesting and their set was tight. Clearly they're skilled musicians, even if I didn't always get what they were doing. They featured 'two' lead vocalists who carried the band through their range of music and a drummer who was amazing.
Overall, it was a fantastic homecoming of sorts with an enthusiastic crowd and skilled musicians.
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