w/ What Laura Says and Jessica Lea Mayfield
This was a show about drums.
Drummers usually get a bad rap. They're not musicians, any kid with half a brain can bang on things, all they are is noise, etc. This concert, however, was a showcase for the rhythm sections of each band, the different ways percussion affects music by its presence or absence, and the various sounds drums can produce.
What Laura Says started it off with cuts from their album Thinks and Feels. A lot of their chord progressions felt really bluesy but the guitar playing had more of a country twang, and the mixture provided the basis for a perfect rock'n'roll show. Watching the band interact on stage with each other, particularly the lead singer and drummer, reminded me very strongly of what Led Zeppelin must have looked like if they'd had Fleet Fox-y beards. What really stood out to me was the way that What Laura Says used the drums: the rhythmic pulse and then its sudden absence, the shift between beats, the hesitations and pauses, all of it seemed organic and natural, unexpected but cohesive. There was even this really strange table on stage left replete with various drinking vessels and what looked like an orange. As it turned out, it was a 'found' percussion table played rather deftly during one particular song in the set. Despite the potential gimmickiness of the vases and tin cans, the percussive sounds blended perfectly with the music. The band's energy was frenetic and contagious even when the extended jams were a bit too extended. For a band billed as a first opener, What Laura Says set the standard quite high for the rest of the acts to follow.
Jessica Lea Mayfield, the second opener, plays what would be broadly categorized as 'chick music': slightly sad acoustic songs about love, relationships, and broken hearts. Her extremely attractive drummer - perfectly flipped blonde hair and black bowler hat - commanded most of the attention. Her black drumsticks looked to be half her size, and she snapped them with such flair and precision that watching her was not a choice, it was an imperative. During the three songs Jessica played alone, I missed the drums. Whereas the absence of drums in What Laura Says's songs worked to their advantage, here I felt it was detrimental - it subtracted a reason for me to listen. She has a nice alto voice, but there was no special component to the songs that was particularly compelling. The bassist, Jessica's 'best friend and brother' David Mayfield, also had an incredible stage presence reinforced by his bearish size and the enormity of his preferred stand-up bass. The bow he used on the strings was fraying and a pack of loose hairs flew back and forth with his bowings. I personally found Jessica's songs unremarkable, but Amanda disagrees. Her set had a more muted energy than What Laura Says as most of her songs were at a slower tempo. After Jessica finished her set, it was time for Annuals.
Any review I write about Annuals will be slanted because they are one of my favorite bands in the world. My personal opinion, however, does not diminish the absolute fact that they are an amazing live band. This is only Annuals' first headlining tour supporting their October 2008 release Such Fun but their third overall, a still remarkable feat for a relatively young band. Annuals began their set with a bang - literally. In addition to their two standard drum kits for Zack and Nick, Adam and Kenny each had a tom. The drum intro involved the four of them alternately banging out a beat, and each drum had a corresponding colored light that flashed when the tom was hit. From the frantic drum buildup Anna segued into the equally unstable 'Hot Night Hounds,' and the show took off from there. This is the sixth time I have seen Annuals live, and they just keep getting better as a unit. Obviously their musicianship increases as well; Anna and Kenny in particular seem to play more complicated and demanding parts on their instruments (see 'Springtime' and 'Hot Night Hounds' respectively). It seems like every time they come around there is a new aspect to their live show. Over time they have incorporated a lap steel guitar, extra drums, more singing harmonies, and they have graduated from using an iPod to a Macbook. Tonight their performance had more polish but still retained the almost childish enthusiasm and exuberance that made me love them in the first place.
The setlist was a great mixture between old and new material that gave equal weight to both. They started off with a handful of songs from Such Fun that represented the range of styles present on the album: their special brand of chaotic mishmash ('Hot Night Hounds'), straightforward pop rock ('Confessor'), slow graceful ballad ('Always Do'), and mountaintop hoedown ('Down the Mountain'). The next part juxtaposed old and new songs heavily laden with three- and four-part harmonies and - everyone's favorite - handclaps. New song 'Hardwood Floor' was the highlight here, dedicated by Baker to 'everyone who smoked pot today.' One of the components necessary to the song's success is the precise snare tapping executed by Nick, who played rather brilliantly all night. I was a little apprehensive about how they could pull off the intricate layers of harmony in this song live, but between the four singers they nailed it. That song led into 'Fair' and 'Complete, or Completing,' two songs heavy on percussion and handclaps. Although these tunes are mid-tempo at their fastest, the band managed to sustain the energy to make them work with a bit of audience participation.
For me, the best parts of Annuals live shows are the little nuances and quirks that probably go unnoticed by others. The endearingly self-effacing between-song banter; the way that Adam plays Nick's cymbals at the beginning of 'Hot Night Hounds' and then seems to forget he has to sing and scrambles up to the mic at the last second; how there is always some object in imminent danger of falling over; their mini drum circles; their inability to stand still (particularly Mike); the pitch-perfect harmonies; and of course, the build-ups, breakdowns, and sing/shoutalong choruses. As headliners, they were able to play an extended set and a huge variety of songs that represent their total output. They rounded out their proper set with their three Severely Epic Songs, one from each of their major releases. 'Sore' was up first followed by 'Brother,' each with a slow burning build and bombastic string accompaniment. The set closer was 'Wake,' the closing track on their newest album. Every detail was perfect - the muted beginning, the keyboard doubling the melody, the 'na-na's and 'oh's, the whistling, and the blistering, sweeping ending. It could have been a satisfying ending, but Annuals still had one more thing to do.
The set was brought full circle as Annuals concluded their two-song encore with a drum outro for 'Hair Don't Grow' featuring alternating pounding on the light-up toms. The repetitive blinking effect of the lights was almost seizure-inducing, but it would have been completely worth it. It was the best performance I have seen from Annuals, and I can't wait to see what they're going to bring with them next time.
Review by Terror, photos by Amanda (more from this show available here).
