On a recent Tuesday night, the recently opened Sinclair in Cambridge, which could be considered a mini House Of Blues, welcomed two of the tightest indie bands of right now, The Front Bottoms and Bad Books. I took the opportunity to check this new venue out, to see some familiar faces (The Front Bottoms), and to see Bad Books live for the first time.
After I settled in, and inconspicuously took a photo of Brian Sella talking to some fans, the venue’s stock music stopped and Weatherbox came onto the stage, a San Diego rock band led by former Mister Valentine and My American Heart member Brian Warren. Along with him are George Pritzker on guitar, Andy Seymour on bass, and Marc Allen on drums. The group had a similar vibe to The Front Bottoms’ opener at TT the Bear’s–A Great Big Pile of Leaves–their calm feel is juxtaposed by bursts of energy. Some outstanding songs they performed were “Trippin’ the Life Fantastic” and “The Clearing” from their 2010 album American Art as well as “Secret Muslim” and “Broken Glowsticks” from 2011’s Follow the Rattle of the Afghan Guitar.
Once Weatherbox left the stage, a bass player and keyboardist/bull horn player walked on stage along with Brian Sella (vocalist/guitarist) and Michael Uychich (drummer) of The Front Bottoms. After a quick set up, the intro for “The Beers” came on and the crowd immediately jolted with excitement. After performing a few other songs off their incredible self-titled studio album, like “Flashlight,” “Swimming Pools,” and “Mountain,” they paused to announce that they had just finished recording their newest album. After a collective cheer, Sella began playing a new track off that album, and the crowd rocked to it as if it was their favorite Front Bottoms song. The song stayed true to the band’s original style while demonstrating their growth over the years. There were dimensions to the song that gave the crowd the energy that is always present while they perform, but they sounded more mature and professional.
And then they were down to their last and coolest song, “Maps.” Once the intro began the crowd swarmed to the front, some managing to get on stage for a crowd surf. Every time The Front Bottoms play “Maps,” I feel as if I’m at an enormous party with the band. Towards the end of the song, Bad Books’ Kevin Devine was on stage brushing Sella’s hair back as they both sang the chorus together.
After the Front Bottoms gave a headliner-worthy performance, Kevin Devine grabbed his guitar as he and Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull emerged on stage to perform what would be a very mellow and intimate set. Starting off with “The After Party,” the crowd began to relax and take in the smooth guitar intro, slightly reminiscent of “Lazy Eye” by the Silversun Pickups. Andy Hull’s calm voice, similar to Bombay Bicycle Club’s Jack Steadman, graced the audience until towards the end of the song where his tranquil singing turned into a scream–“Oh I hate to be alone! It’s so good to be alone!”–while the band jammed to the fullest. Then they continued to rock and jam and mellow out for an awesome fifteen minutes or so. Before moving onto the next song, Andy Hull politely asked the audience for a cough drop, at which point a cough drop almost immediately shot out of the crowd and into his hands. Surprised at the quick gesture, Kevin Devine jokingly told Hull that what he took was acid and after a pseudo-freak out, the whistling tune to “Forest Whitaker” began.
With more awesome songs came more hilarious antics. After playing a few more tracks off their new album II, including “It Never Stops” and “Ambivalent Peaks,” the music came to a halt and Andy Hull began to tell the crowd how he came up with a story about a baby that becomes possessed by the devil–the premise for “Baby Shoes.” And with that they played the song off their 2010 album and everyone rocked along. Once the epic performance of “Baby Shoes” was over, all the band members except Devin and Hull stepped off stage, where the atmosphere returned to its cool state. To end the set, Hull sang “Pyotr,” a genuine and personal piece, considering the intimate ambiance throughout the crowd.
When the song was over, Andy Hull muttered “Thank you” to us and stepped off stage. Everyone stood calmly before exiting, taking in the incredible performance. With a solid opening performance by Weatherbox, a typically amazing effort from The Front Bottoms, and an absolutely incredible set by the Bad Books, I’d have to say this is one of the chillest concerts I’ve attended.
Photo Credit: Chris D’Amor