For a long time, I felt that the notion of “music brings people together” was reserved for Raffi concerts and hippie festivals. After getting elbowed in the face and experiencing a beer bath on more than one occasion, I figured that dealing with oafs was just necessary collateral for seeing good live bands. If music brought people together, it was just to annoy me.
As a tandem, Hooray For Earth and Architecture In Helsinki have restored my faith in concert-going humanity.
Right before the Hooray For Earth set, as Slim’s played Miike Snow in the background to prime the crowd, I met a guy who went to high school with two of the four band members back in Massachusetts and came out to support his old buddies. I also chatted up a few other folks who were more than happy to share their expansive knowledge of live music and good venues in the area. After wandering around awkwardly in the sparsely populated bar area with a notebook in my hand instead of a drink, these friendly souls set my mind at ease.
The Hooray For Earth boys were endearingly scruffy, much like their live sound (their drummer looks like James Franco in Pineapple Express). The indie electro-rock foursome has been compared to MGMT and made a name for itself on the list of Spin’s five best new artists for March. The band made liberal use of intergalactic scratches and guitar squeals, which complemented singer Noel Heroux’s ethereal, Wizard Of Oz vocals.
Feedback was integrated into tracks like “True Loves” in a unique, melodious fashion, but the greatest joy came when the guitarist busted into G N’ R-style riffs amid booming percussion. Although the numerous electronic instruments it used made the stage look like the set of Jumanji (with all of the cords snaking around the platform that limited the band members movement), Hooray For Earth still managed to rope in the crowd that was streaming in. And not just their friends from high school.
When Australian dream-pop six-piece Architecture In Helsinki bounded onto the stage, no linebackers tried to push their way in front of me while balancing three overfilled cups of house beer. In fact, a tall blond girl grabbed my hand and said, “Girl, you are short! You need to get in front of me!” That act of kindness gave me the prime viewing pleasure of watching Architecture go Beyonce on us in a pretty extensively choreographed number during “That Beep.”
The band members frolicked around onstage, swapping instruments with each other and exhibiting their musical dexterity while infusing energy into the crowd as bubbles floated above our heads, instead of the usual waft of marijuana. While most concerts I’ve attended include a fair amount of avoiding the sweaty backs of people who are bumping into me and deflecting glares after my arm grazes a breast when I clap, the random mix of people around me were all grooving together harmoniously. It was like the last few minutes of a teen romantic comedy from the ’90s where all the characters set aside their high school hierarchical differences and dance with each other. Jocks boogie with dorks, popular girls grind with freaks, Jennifer Love Hewitt locks step with DJ Qualls, and all is right in the world. The glittery synth melodies, tinkling vocals and thudding beats all culminated in the encore, “Contact High”, after which the gay couple I had just been dancing with gave me a high-five and the girl to my right handed me a glass of water. Indeed, music brings people together.
—Maureen Coulter
