The first thing I noticed about the stage was the clean set up. The space was completely clear of extraneous objects (amps, cups, cords, instruments, etc.) with the bass, guitar and keyboard/guitar players all standing in a clean line across the front of the stage facing out toward the audience. The drummer was on a platform directly behind the lead singer. The simplicity of the set up felt fresh, there was no machinery, just people and instruments, making genuine music. Secondly, this open space allowed for lots of movement from Chu which he freely used for almost every song. The other endearing thing that Chu does is thank the audience between every song, and announce the song title. His unpretentious attitude was cute and very strongly targeted his large group of youthful female fans.

They opened with a fuzzy tune up that turned into a swelling song which I failed to write the title in my notes. I did write a note to myself that my photographer Jeremy confirmed: there are some really Grizzly Bear-ish elements to their music. Certainly more pop hooks and catchier tunes than GB. A little research confirms my suspicion: they toured in Fall 2009 supporting Grizzly Bear, and GB’s Chris Taylor produced the album. The strong drum line and piercing guitar in songs like Hand Me Downs and Promises are where I was hearing the influence most. I think the California take on the GB sound is really working for them. Frankly, every song was solid, and more exciting live than in recording. We lucked out and they also played a new song called Go Grab a Stranger which featured a great interaction between the guitarists who happen to be brothers (its extremely apparent on stage).

As much as I enjoyed the performance, I did feel like the quantity of interaction between Chris Chu and the audience was a little bit extreme. This was certainly the closest I’ve ever come to being near a heartthrob. During their viral hit Excuses, he outright jumped off the stage and was roaming around in the audience. Interestingly, there is very little written literature about them. Stereogum did an interview, but I’m curious about the band itself, and looking for more history from them.

I only heard one of the openers, but it was a band from Tallahassee FL called Holiday Shores. We happened to be positioned next to their super fans and record reps, so it seemed like everyone around us was really enthusiastic about their performance. I certainly liked them, and thought they were a great fit for The Morning Benders. Holiday Shores sounds like a jammy/psych pop explosion. There was lots of crazy onstage dancing, particularly from the lead guitarist wailing on a symbol. The lead Singer/Key Boardist reminded me of Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig. Also, I think I need to personally do some vintage shopping in Florida, because i was obsessed with both his floral printed shirt and his cardigan.