Wednesday night at the Mohawk was a testament to both the outstanding music that has already been released in 2013 as well as the super-lineups that Transmission Entertainment has proven themselves capable of assembling. On this particular night, hump day felt much more like a Friday. The bill outside consisted of three solid touring acts and no filler with Wampire, Foxygen, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, the latter two being bands that released my two favorite albums of the year so far. Inside, local favorites Tiger Waves performed a packed homecoming show, back from tour, and Social Studies and Ramona Falls finished the evening with powerful sets.
With so many great bands, it’s hard to know where to start. Impressive was the fact that every set changed the pace of the night a bit, something that isn’t easy to achieve with a six band bill. Wampire brought their youthful, brash hazy pop to the stage, coupled with laid back vibes as they accepted a generous offer from a crowd member, each smoking onstage.
Pure insanity served as the driving force of Foxygen’s set, which consisted of frenetic psych-pop. Lead singer Sam France moved spastically around the stage, screaming and singing as he struck strange poses, leaned out over the crowd, and fiddled with knobs on a mixer. Most of the band maintained a cool demeanor amongst the chaos, but seemed entertained by their own wild frontman, often wearing sly grins as they performed. The songs translated as sloppier and less structured than recorded, but the raw energy made the set a hell of a lot of fun.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, the evening’s headliner, also performed a set that felt far different live than the same songs feel recorded, although a large cloth imprinted with the album’s cover served as a backdrop for the stage. Preferring to let the music speak for itself, the trio plowed through jammy, psychedelic rock, keeping the crowd entangled in their web of grooves. Wearing coolly detached smiles below focused eyes and furrowed brows, the band often appeared distant yet not standoffish, as if transfixed by their own sounds. The trio’s songs stretched on, falling into rhythmic patterns as they navigated material from both of their records, saving crowd pleasers like “Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)” until later in the set.
Near the end of UMO’s set, Tiger Waves kept the rock going before it ever stopped, kicking things off on the inside stage. Tiger Waves has produced some of the most expertly rendered indie-pop songs in recent memory in the past few months with the release of “Weekends” and “Fields.” Live, they’ve shown some of the hallmark growing pains of a young band, but their set at Mohawk reflected new insights as a band fresh off of their first national tour. Tiger Waves, with lead singer Reid Comstock at the helm, sounded tighter and performed more energetically than I’ve ever seen them before. It’s awesome to see a good band becoming a great band.
Social Studies is a band I’ve recently discovered and have had on frequent rotation, so it was great to have them on this bill. Defined by female vocals and synths, both provided by frontwoman Natalia Rogovin, Social Studies shifted the dynamic of the night with their key-driven, hard-hitting indie rock. The five-piece sounded impeccably tight, clearly impressing the crowd, who appeared increasingly engaged in the set as it wore on. Indeed, as impressive as the performance was in its entirety, the singular greatness of closer “Terracur” may have been the most convincing song of the entire night.
I’m a terrible person, I know, but the inevitable occurrence of the day job alarm clock beckoned me home after being at the show for six hours and I had to miss Ramona Falls’ set. John Laird from Side One Track One assures me they killed it, and I have no doubt. Sadly, all six of these bands will be back in two short weeks for SXSW except Ramona Falls, so I’ve missed my chance for now. In case you missed that: ALL SIX of these bands will be back for SXSW and they’re all bands we recommend seeing live. Get to it, Austin.
All photos © Bryan Parker and Pop Press International. Click any image to open gallery in slideshow view.
