We Were Promised Jetpacks is one of those bands that I’ve been following for quite some time. A fan since their debut album These Four Walls came out, their live shows has always been a constant of joy whenever I get the opportunity to see them. So, it was from this mindset that I prepared myself for another WWPJ show at Paradise Rock Club last week. After having a little extra time to reflect on the performance, I can say that, while it didn’t rise to its normal heights and fell flat at certain points, the band from Scotland still managed to resonate with me and the group that came out.

As I made my way into Paradise and situated myself on the balcony, the opening band The Twilight Sad started up their set. I have to say that I’m really glad I ended up on the upper floor for it. While certainly similar and sharing a number of musical veins with their fellow Scots, The Twilight Sad takes a much more reflective, carefully constructed, and emotionally heavy mindset to their shoegazey/post-punk mixture. While most certainly a delight to listen to if you were open to that mood, this led to a pretty tame and uninterested crowd who obviously were there to get a little more verve out of it. There were a few who you could audibly tell were into it, but they were in the minority.

This whole exchange led to some concern on my end. If you listen to We Were Promised Jetpacks’ latest album Unraveling, the vast majority of the songs on it take on a similar feel to The Twilight Sad. While this makes for a much more balanced listening when hearing the recorded album, it might lead to a mood that drains the energy from the room when it comes to the live show. My concerns most definitely came to light during We Were Promised Jetpacks’ set, as songs like “I Keep It Concerned” and “Night Terror” felt too tame for the crowd that the band has cultivated over the years.

That being said, the band didn’t lose the crowd completely. The vast majority of the audience were screaming and jumping along when they reached fan favorites like “Roll Up Your Sleeves” and “Boy In the Backseat”. In fact, most of the set that covered the band’s first two albums got an incredible amount of fanfare from the fairly full house at Paradise. By the time the band ended their regular set with “It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning”, it felt like the songs that fell flat had been erased from the crowd’s short-term memory.

When it is all said and done, We Were Promised Jetpacks is still a great live band. Most of their reputation and growing popularity is completely based on that fact. In fact, I’m sure the members of the crowd at Paradise that night who had never seen them before came away with well-deserved high praises. But, as one who’s followed them for quite some time, I felt them trying to move a bit away from their strengths and branch out. This resonated a bit more on the actual record, but, when it comes to their live show, it suffered a bit from their experimentation. As a result, it felt at times there were lulls and missed opportunities to make an even bigger impact. But, after the band came back out and ended the night right with “Short Bursts”, I walked away from Paradise ultimately satisfied.