Was that a band of traveling gypsies dancing down the street and around the corner at Bimbo's last night? Oh, no that was just the cult of feather and banjo-clad Edward Sharpe enthusiasts. And if the scene outside wasn't enough, the at-capacity venue was brimming with positive energy and eclectic personalities.
The Northern Key started out the evening hitting somber folk melodies led by singer/songwriter Andrew Galluccio, assisted by multi-instrumentalist Christina Platter, and Danny Sullivan on drums. Highlights included their hit "Proof" played effortlessly and flawless. Their self-titled debut album now out on Tricycle Records was recorded and produced by Chris Chu (lead singer of The Morning Benders) at Different Fur Studios.
Next up, indie pop outfit AB & The Sea pumped the energy up a notch with their particular brand of retro surf-rock. The whole crowd was swooning for lead singer Koley O'Brien's persuasive lyrics, and ahem, good looks. Also ironically old pals with The Morning Benders, these San Franciscans-by-way-of-Wisconsin have overtaken the local indie scene, interjecting themselves on the very best of bills, and last night was no exception. AB & The Sea absolutely nailed their performance, hitting every beat just right. Folk duo, Watson Twins also opened, crooning their dynamic range of country and folk-infused soul songs to an eager crowd.
Making an impact wherever they go, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros literally danced onto the stage, flailing spastically, banging, and shaking more instruments than one person can keep two eyes on. A Christmas pajama-wearing Edward Sharpe unleashed the banter of a madman on an audience that was probably just as crazy, pounding out a roller coaster of high and low tunes in literal perfection. Taking a few breaks to "get serious," aka somber up the energy level, a good 85% of the show was spent in raging dance circles. Highlights of the night: Crowd surfing the expert violinist from Plaid Petunias on stage for a completely improv, and grandiose version of "Home." Dragging another random audience member to guest-star on assisting drums for "Om Nashi Me." Last, but not least, Edward Sharpe somehow getting all 685+ (capacity) people to sit in each other's laps on the floor for the final encore. If there were more words to describe how epic this closing show was for Noise Pop, they would be right here in this sentence. All we know is we were part of history last night.
Check out the photos below by Misha Vladimirsky.
