I was wowed by the Starlight Mints, and it takes a lot for me to get wowed.
Their show at The Highdive in Champaign on Friday was awesome. It all added up: the lighting, the music, the energy (the lack of crowd didn't help, but it didn't bug me, even if it did bug the band). It was a legitimate surprise, one of the best shows I have seen this year.
I should have known something awesome was coming up from when I entered The Highdive. There was a video screen up and a projector ready to go. I knew it would be cool, but not this cool.
Starlight Mints are gearing up for the release of their latest record, Change Remians (out now digitally), and a good portion of their 45-minute set was derived from it.In fact, the upcoming record yielded the best song of the night in "Zoomba." With a pre-recorded discordant horn section and a powerful drum beat, the band displayed their power.
Their music was joyous and upbeat but it had a weight to it. The rhythms were emphasized and made what could have been very precious music into something monstrous.
In addition, the band seems to have learned quite a bit from fellow Oklahomans and former tourmates The Flaming Lips, as their visuals were almost as good as the music. With a video screen playing various backgrounds and two LED lights in the front, the lights were almost as bright as the band's energy, but put together made for a great spectacle on such a small stage.
The band ended their set early, probably because Evangelicals went on late. Starlight Mints was determined to end on a good note though, after a botched version of "Submarine #3." They did, but it was too short for such a good show.
Opening band Evangelicals really love The Cure. That's just about everything you need to know about them, since every song sounded like The Cure (guys, if you aren't getting the message, listen to another band besides The Cure).To be fair, the band's material had a lot more power onstage, but the weirdness and odd musical styles displayed on 2008's The Evening Descends were not shown.
When I saw them at the Pygmalion Festival last September, I walked out. Part of that was because they were boring, the other was that I wanted to see other bands. While they have improved as a live act since then, they struggle to make the interesting elements of their records a part of their live set.
That being said, I did enjoy how raw and punky some of their numbers became, especially the song "Bellawood." If only they were able to combine the punky and the intricate. Then Evangelicals would really be creating something great.
Here are some more photos from the show:
Starlight Mints
Evangelicals
Evangelicals
