Mutual Benefit

I’m the friend who will encourage you to go see a band you don’t know very well. You’ve heard a track or two and you’ve heard rave reviews. Just go for it! What have you got to lose (except for the price of admission)?

Wild Beasts, pharmacy a four-piece out of the UK recently put out a new record, decease Present Tense, cialis the fourth in their catalogue of releases, one of which has already earned them a Mercury Prize nomination. My knowledge of Wild Beasts was minimal. I knew one song by heart but could recognize frontman Hayden Thorpe’s deep bellied vocals nearly anywhere. If you aren’t too familiar with the band, let’s learn a little bit together.

Thorpe teamed up with guitarist Ben Little to form a duo called Fauve (French for “wild beast”) back in 2002 before picking up drummer Chris Talbot, bassist Gareth Bullock and before anglicizing and pluralizing their moniker. Wild Beasts quickly began gaining buzz for Hayden’s “enormous falsetto voice” and their playful and experimental approach to the craft.

Fast-forward to today and they now have four studio albums under their belt that reflect an evolving songwriting process and sound. What started off as flamboyant and experimental pop with their first two records lost some of the frills and gained some heightened sensuality with more barren arrangements on 2011’s Smother and has now morphed into synth-centric and dance oriented electro-rock. Thorpe’s falsetto however, has stood the test of the decade.

Opening for them on this tour was Mutual Benefit. There was something ever so perfect about rolling through The Sinclair’s double doors from the rainy mist to hear Jordan Lee’s ethereal arrangements wafting through the air. The house wasn’t quite packed, but Lee didn’t seem to mind it. He is the type of performer who is present, engaged, and elated to play for whoever is there to listen. He’ll remember that one time you met briefly a year ago and tell you that his album costs, “15, I think that’s what the sign says,” as he peers over to look as the handwritten sign, “but yeah, whatever you have is ok too.”

Jordan Lee of Mutual Benefit

While his sometimes-violinist was sadly absent this night, Lee and his band played a set so shimmery we forgot all about the gloom waiting for us outside. The four friends shared half-silent giggles between songs and Lee fulfilled a personal dream by getting the crowd to do the wave for him. “I really do miss Jamaica Pond,” said Lee after the soft cooing closing of  “‘Let’s Play’/Statue of a Man”.

Lucky for us, all of the delicate intricacies of Love’s Crushing Diamond fall together effortlessly live. Mutual Benefit commands your attention in the most polite way as Lee is an inward performer. In the live setting, he shows himself in the littlest ways. It’s in the closing of his eyes as he sings, “but I won’t forget the way she flies,” on “Advanced Falconry” and it’s in the curling of his fingers as he pivots back and forth on the soles of his feet.

“We’ve been joking that [Wild Beasts’] equipment is just bigger versions of ours and it makes us feel like babies,” Lee joked. “We were in DC the other night and nobody was there for us. They didn’t care. It’s really humbling having 1000 people talking over you.” Having now seen Mutual Benefit in three different incarnations, the cast of performers (aside from Lee) may not be constant…but the quality is.

When Thorpe took the stage, it quickly became clear that he and Lee are polar opposites. Everything about Thorpe is grand. He entered wit sweeping hand gestures, his slicked back hair, crisp button down, and a proud stance. Wild Beasts kicked off their set with “Mecca” and soon I would realize that the night would be mostly focused on new material to my own disadvantage. While Present Tense is tighter, punchier, and undoubtedly groovy – it didn’t hold my attention. Every time I felt myself drifting, a Smother cut would sneak in the setlist to reel me back in. Perhaps it was the sparse Monday night crowd or the Thorpe’s off-putting comment that he exclusively writes about love, sex, and drugs.

The strongest tracks of the night were “All The King’s Men” showcasing the band’s playfulness and bouncing rhythms and “Pregnant Pause” ending with Thorpe’s falsetto showcased a capella. While Thorpe is an experienced performer, I longed for more of an authentic release from him. Sure, his songs are primarily about sex, but there are snippets of introspection and a lust for a deeper human connection in there too. Everything about their set was textbook good. As the night went on I started to think I was alone my ambivalence as I watched many a Wild Beasts fan dance to their hearts content. Seldom have I seen fans express themselves so freely and shamelessly, there’s strong evidence that there is an element of Wild Beasts that just haven’t clicked with (yet).

Wild Beasts