Oh my goodness, what a show. Mates of State played with Other Lives and Yawn at the Visulite Theatre in Charlotte, NC and it was just unreal. We arrived halfway through Yawn’s set and sat down on the little balcony they had. Now this venue was just incredible. The stage was not gigantic but they had an awesome setup that was different from any other stage I’ve seen. The bar was at the back and the venue was sort of sloped downwards towards the stage, similar to a theatre but the only seats were stools. Now, I do live standing up at the front of the stage for shows, but sitting down with a perfect view of the stage is a rare treat, so we ended up sitting down the whole show.
Yawn were interesting (in a good way). I only saw 3 or 4 songs in their set but they had a pretty cool dancey sound similar to Tokyo Police Club but a little less poppy. They were fun and are playing with The Kooks on their upcoming US tour so it looks like they’ve got a nice future ahead of them. I would have to say though, the most impressive band of the night were openers Other Lives. They are one of the best bands I have ever seen live which is rare for an opening act. I can easily say that they reminded me a lot of Fleet Foxes. They have less harmonies and are a little bit darker, but the singer’s voice is closely related to Robin Pecknold’s. Jenny Hsu, the sole female member of the band played viola and upright bass but most amazing was her hauntingly beautiful voice that backed up most of the lead singer’s vocals and made everything sound that much more beautiful. They played at least 16 different instruments during their set and had a strong, powerful sound that commanded the whole crowd. They played many songs off their FANTASTIC album Tamer Animals which I REQUIRE everyone who reads this to listen to. I did not want them to end ever. I really hope that I get to see them again before they get huge (they already have a gigantic European tour coming up after this one).
Mates of State were amazing as well, but in a whole different way than Other Lives. They were one of the funnest bands I have ever seen play which makes sense since their albums are ridiculously fun. Kori Gardner’s voice sounds better live than on the album and the harmonies between her and Jason Hammel were pretty perfect. They have been touring together since 1997 which makes their energy and enthusiasm even more impressive. I could tell that this is what both of them love to do. Their chemistry on stage was adorable as well, it was fairly obvious that they are married but not over the top, just cute. It’s hard to pick a few songs that were the highlights of the set but I really liked their live renditions of the songs from their newest album Mountaintops. Although, they didn’t played my personal favourite from that album At Least I Have You. They ended the set with their newest single Palomino which is so catchy that I cannot understand why it’s not all over the world right now. I also do not understand how Matt & Kim are more popular than this girl/boy duo as I’d have to say that Mates of State are a whole lot better. Don’t get me wrong, I love Matt & Kim but this band are just so solid with their harmonies and brilliantly catchy songs. Maybe it’s just not their time yet. Please check them out if they come near you, you absolutely won’t be disappointed. Do the same for Other Lives because I swear to you that they are going to be the next Fleet Foxes.
ALSO, there was ridiculous guy wearing a Pokemon shirt in the crowd who was doing the most amazing dancing I have ever seen and they brought him up on stage and danced with him and it was the best thing ever.