I was anticipating this show for several reasons: one, I'd heard nothing but good things about Beach House, even though their record never caught a hold of me. Two, the Clientele put out a quite lovely record in 2005 which I've been fond of for some time (Strange Geometry), and this year's follow up, God Save the Clientele, is similarly pretty good. Three, I had a date. That's at least two more reasons than I normally have to look forward to a show, so I had high hopes for this one.

Things started off on the right foot: Beach House created a big, warm sound that appropriately enough, kind of reminded me of waves in an abstract sense. I still sometimes find myself surprised by how just two people can really envelop a room in sound, and this was one of those occasions. Even better, after a kind of slow start I found myself really getting into it. I could've listened to a lot more of them. Current indie rock royalty Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear is also a fan, as he was standing next to me for part of the show, which isn't that surprising considering the similarities between what he's up to and what Beach House does.

Initially, I was very underwhelmed by the Clientele. They opened with my favorite song that they play, Since K Got Over Me (which is amazing if you've not heard it), but it sounded really thin and the vocals sounded kind of throw-away. A band like the Clientele need sincerity to sell their music, and they have it on record. Live, I wasn't quite feeling it. However, they did fix the sound as the show went on giving it more of that dream-pop atmosphere that I was hoping for (and that Beach House nailed), and I came to like the band a little more. Also, it was the keyboardist's birthday, an adorable blond catch from England, and the crowd singing happy birthday to her was actually pretty fun. All in all, the Clientele are a decent show, and a good date show if that's what you're looking for.

Labels: Beach House, Concert Reviews, The Clientele