Ottawans lucky enough to catch Real Estate's opening slot for Kurt Vile a year and a half ago found out quickly that the quintet require nothing less than an attentive and engaged audience. Their return to the capital, complete with headliner upgrade, now gave fans a proper chance to digest the New Jersey band's warm sound wash.
Still glowing from the success of the music video for "Thick as Thieves," which is closing in on a million views, Ottawa's Kalle Mattson opened the night with a confident and caffeinated performance. Still shaky from a recent lineup shift, frontman Kalle Wainio held things together nicely, coming off a bit more singer-songwriter-esque than on their wonderfully fractured, Pavement-indebted debut.
Early birds were also treated to the music of the Babies, the side-project of Vivian Girls' songwriter/vocalist Cassie Ramone and Woods bassist Kevin Morby. The four-piece won over the beer-in-one-hand-smartphone-in-the-other crowd swiftly, delivering an incredibly tight set, sonically referencing NYC no wave, K Records twee and Thurston-hearts-Kim indie rock. Anchored by some truly inventive guitar mashing and simpatico melodies/anti-melodies, the duo of Ramone and Morby worked as an accurate warm-up to Real Estate's semi-detached live M.O.
Adorned in polyester and oversized frames, Real Estate entered the Mavericks stage calm and collected. Vocalist Martin Courtney spent the night looking especially stoic, transporting this business-first credo into gorgeous guitar picking and transcending vocal whisper. Keeping the kinetic energy running high, the band's mid-set performance of "It's Real" worked as a turning point, jolting the crowd into a cheering, dancing whirl while simultaneously leading to Real Estate's collar-loosening set enders that included breath-holding renditions of "Out of Tune" and "Municipality."
As Courtney thanked the audience for coming out, his long-time-coming smile spoke volumes on the connection a truly engrossed audience and genuine musicians can reach.
Courtesy of Todd Hamilton, you can watch a video from the show featuring Real Estate playing their song "Wonder Years" below.
Still glowing from the success of the music video for "Thick as Thieves," which is closing in on a million views, Ottawa's Kalle Mattson opened the night with a confident and caffeinated performance. Still shaky from a recent lineup shift, frontman Kalle Wainio held things together nicely, coming off a bit more singer-songwriter-esque than on their wonderfully fractured, Pavement-indebted debut.
Early birds were also treated to the music of the Babies, the side-project of Vivian Girls' songwriter/vocalist Cassie Ramone and Woods bassist Kevin Morby. The four-piece won over the beer-in-one-hand-smartphone-in-the-other crowd swiftly, delivering an incredibly tight set, sonically referencing NYC no wave, K Records twee and Thurston-hearts-Kim indie rock. Anchored by some truly inventive guitar mashing and simpatico melodies/anti-melodies, the duo of Ramone and Morby worked as an accurate warm-up to Real Estate's semi-detached live M.O.
Adorned in polyester and oversized frames, Real Estate entered the Mavericks stage calm and collected. Vocalist Martin Courtney spent the night looking especially stoic, transporting this business-first credo into gorgeous guitar picking and transcending vocal whisper. Keeping the kinetic energy running high, the band's mid-set performance of "It's Real" worked as a turning point, jolting the crowd into a cheering, dancing whirl while simultaneously leading to Real Estate's collar-loosening set enders that included breath-holding renditions of "Out of Tune" and "Municipality."
As Courtney thanked the audience for coming out, his long-time-coming smile spoke volumes on the connection a truly engrossed audience and genuine musicians can reach.
Courtesy of Todd Hamilton, you can watch a video from the show featuring Real Estate playing their song "Wonder Years" below.