The Naked and Famous performed a wild show at the 9:30 club on Friday, Oct. 28. The sold out show was the last night of the acclaimed New Zealand-based band’s tour in the states. The indie rock band from Auckland, New Zealand is highly acclaimed in both New Zealand and abroad.
The Friday night show before Halloween brought out some costumes in the audience, but mostly everyone was just at the show to hear the music. The floor was packed, and the balcony above was filled with dancing listeners.
White Arrows, an electronic band based out of Los Angeles, opened the show with a mellow set infused with electronic riffs and techno beats. The audience wandered in as the up-and-coming psych-rockers played. Capturing the audiences’ attention with dramatic vocals and handclap-inducing rhythms, White Arrows’ set had up-tempo back melodies and interesting sound effects. Strong drums, electric guitar and catchy choruses held their cohesive sound together.
The Chain Gang of 1974, a psychedelic punk band from Denver followed. Lead singer and solo member, Kamtin Mohager, grabbed the audience’s attention with his impressive vocals and dance moves. Fans danced along to all of the songs, including “Hold On,” and “Wayward Fire.”
As the Naked and Famous took the stage, the colorful circular backdrop set a mysterious, calming mood. Dancing to the strong rhythms, the band played steady throughout the show. The audience remained engrossed in the band’s intense instrumentals and vocals and 9:30 club reverberated with the deep bass and tinny cymbal crashes.
Heavy, deep rhythms kept the melodies flowing, as lead singer and guitarist, Thom Powers, and singer and keyboardist, Alisa Xayalith, accompanied one another in their vocal perfomances. Powers’ deep mellow voice, in contrast to Xayalith’s crisp, piercing voice provided for quite the duo. The varying rhythms and harmonies provide for constant surprises in the songs. The venue pulsated with the heavy beats and strong vibrations. Some of the hits of the night included audience favorites “Punching in a Dream,” “All of This,” “No Way,” “Girls Like You,” and an encore that included “Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!” “Serenade,” and ended with their single “Young Blood.”
