Under the High Noon Saloon stage’s whimsical string-lights, people stood chatting and waiting for the opening acts Wednesday night. The main attraction of the show, MisterWives, performed in front of a fanciful stage backdrop, which depicted an elephant, dinosaur and hummingbird in a treehouse.
Though it was a Wednesday night, the High Noon was filled with people eager to hear American indie pop band MisterWives on its first headlining tour. After openers Handsome Ghost and BØRNS, MisterWives led a fun, excessively high-energy, interactive show.
Two-man band Handsome Ghost started off the night slowly, producing songs filled with longing and nostalgia. In some songs, including “Bloodshot,” the band replicated its recorded sound well.
In one of the new songs featured on their upcoming EP Steps, “Steps,” they sang of oceans “big enough to drown in” and how they hoped to be children again.
But swelling instrumentals did seem to drown out lead singer Tim Noyes’ voice, detracting from the performance of their most well-known song, “Blood Stutter.”
BØRNS continued the less-than-optimal sound with alarmingly deep bass and quiet vocals. There were even a few squeaks during their performance. However, the harmonies between lead singer Garrett Borns and the keyboardist on “10,000 Emerald Pools” were satisfying, as was Borns’ impressive vocal range. He was also noticeably taller than the other band members, and shamelessly danced around the stage as they clapped. The band played several songs from their EP Candy, plus a few unreleased ones, including “Drunk.”
But despite the adrenaline of the two openers, their music seemed sluggish compared to MisterWives. Most of the headliner’s newfound energy came from lead singer Mandy Lee, who constantly bounced around the stage with animated gestures.
“I am sweating profusely,” she said. “I didn’t realize it was possible to sweat in one degree weather.”
The other band members often joined in the celebration, high-fiving people in the crowd and applauding the audience’s singing ability.
They began with “Our Own House” and played several tracks from their new album Our Own House. Lee couldn’t help but note how unreal being on the headlining tour was.
“Can you pinch me?” she asked someone in the front row. The person did and Lee said, “It’s fucking real!”
Band members used profanity liberally, but it fit with the excessive energy emanating from the stage. The band even exaggerated transitions between songs. At one point, Lee and drummer Etienne Bowler improvised a clapping rhythm, and pretty soon the whole band was clapping in sync. The beat led into their song, “Box Around the Sun.”
Such spontaneous, yet rehearsed transitions made the show seem like a sort of theatrical play. It was reassuring to see how familiar and casual the musicians acted toward the crowd.
At times, Lee’s drama distracted from the songs’ content. She twisted the pronunciation of words, so if one did not know the lyrics it was hard to understand what she sang. She often delayed the lyrics from the beat, and while the delay seemed artful at first, it quickly became irritating.
Though the lyrics were difficult to decipher, the unusual combination of instruments made listening enjoyable. MisterWives incorporated a saxophone, trumpet, accordion and xylophone into the show, all of which enhanced the funky feel. They even covered Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” in the encore, which perhaps showcased their musical abilities better than their own songs.
Nevertheless, the ridiculous amount of energy that MisterWives brought made the show quite memorable, as did Lee’s exaggerated compliments to the crowd.
“Madison, you sound like a choir of fucking angels,” she said.
