Emo’s East housed a four hour long dream-experience on Tuesday night with Cults, SACCO, and Mood Rings, all of which cast their dream pop spell over the crowd for the duration of the evening. I was a bit surprised to find Mood Rings opening the night, rather than playing in the middle spot. Regardless of their placement in the bill, Mood Rings put on a great show, starting the night off with a solid set of ethereal pop. The arrangements leaned on synths far less than I imagined, and shimmering guitars defined the songs. As the five piece played, multi-colored backlighting washed over the band in waves, providing hazy, dreamy imagery that perfectly accompanied the band’s sound.
SACCO played second, and appealed to a similar dazed aesthetic, but moved the sound in a crunchier and more roughly textured direction. Knowing nothing of the band, I planned to get a more full grasp of their music when I returned from the show, but the band is, as far as I can tell, undiscoverable on the internet. Go figure.
Cults headlined the evening with their brand of washed out indie pop. The band’s newest album is fittingly called Static, and although, the new record actually cleaned up the arrangements a bit from their last record, the group still develops songs that utilize a hazy wall of sound much of the time. Upbeat indie pop songs such as the band’s newest single “High Road” defined the night as lead vocalist Madeline Follin danced and swayed center stage. 
Follin has an undeniably alluring nonchalant coolness onstage. She dances as blue lights wash over her and projections that mimic static emblazoned televisions provide a backdrop. It’s a subtle touch, but one that indicates the band’s devotion to making the live show distinct. At one point, guitarist and the band’s only other primary member Brian Oblivion thanks those who are dancing along. Although the Monday night crowd is more meager than I expected for a band of this size, those in attendance are wholeheartedly committed. If you missed Cults this time around, don’t miss the next one, as the band provides a solid live sound and a visually interesting performance.
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
