About this time last year, Future Islands were one of a great many interesting bands that were touring the North American continent in support of their latest album - in the case of Future Islands, their new album Singles. Then, in one of my favorite success stories of 2014, they got their chance to debut on the Letterman show, and they absolutely nailed it. They didn't do anything that night that they hadn't been doing before on stages all across the country, but they just came on and were themselves - the best possible version of themselves, to be sure, but they stayed true to their act.
Letterman raved about their set, gifs of singer Sam Herring's dance moves went viral, and before you knew it, Future Islands just exploded and went from playing mid-afternoon sets on the summer festival circuit to headlining. What I love about that story is that they did it all without resorting to gimmicks or guests or shock tactics, but just by staying true to themselves.
Last night, Future Islands headlined at a sold-out Variety Playhouse. But first, Atlanta's Nomen Novum opened.
Nomen Novum is one person, David Norbery, who plays synths and guitars, as well as sings catchy synth-pop songs, Here are some samples:
I don't think I've ever caught him live before (although I've certainly seen him listed at the local clubs), and he provided a diverting and entertaining opening to last night's show. He even worked in a cover of Disturbed's The Sickness into his set (you can hear a recorded version of it over on his SoundCloud page).
Next up were Raleigh's Lonnie Walker. We've seen Lonnie Walker before, when they opened for Spoon and St. Vincent during Day Two of Hopscotch 2014 in their hometown. They sounded far better last night to this listener than they did back then, or maybe this listener simply paid more attention last night and wasn't as concerned about getting a good spot in the audience to catch Annie and Britt later. Last night, I enjoy their hooky, quirky songs much more than I had last summer, so either they're the most improved band of the year or I'm the most improved listener. Either way, I'm glad that I got to catch them again last night, as they really turned around my impression of their music.
But yadda-yadda-yadda, the full house was there last night to see Future Islands, although I suspect most of them didn't know of the band until this happened:
Herring and company took the stage at 10:30 p.m. last night and played a 90-minute set, including the extended encore. They played most of the songs off of Singles, performing crowd pleaser Seasons (Waiting On You) not at the end of their set but about four songs from the end. They included older numbers like Walking Through That Door from In Evening Air, as well as their newer, more well-known stuff. Herring certainly did not disappoint those fans there just to see him bust his dance moves, as he danced and gesticulated almost constantly, shaking hands and singing into the faces of those at the front of the stage, as he alternated between his usual singing voice, his death metal growl, and his outright scream. Between the vocal gymnastics and the histrionics, he had the over-the-top emotional dial turned up to 11 all night.
We've seen Future Islands once before, back in July 2012 when they played the Hell stage at Masquerade and our old friends Psychodubasaurus Rex opened. I may have enjoyed that set even more than last night's, probably because I was just discovering Sam Herring's style, not yet having shared their Letterman performance with the rest of America. Reviewing the Masquerade set, I wrote:
Future Islands are a synth-pop ensemble fronted by the dramatic, emotive singer Sam Herring. Dressed in black slacks and a tucked-in black shirt, Herring looked almost like Neil Diamond but sang like Tom Waits-meets-Morrissey-at-a-particularly-emotional-moment. His voice ranged from a wimper to a growl, sometimes several times in the same line - he could probably challenge Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle) for sheer stylistic range. He might sound like a crooner launching into a power ballad one moment and then a Cookie Monster death metal singer the next. Half the fun was watching Herring raise his fist, pound the floor, thump his chest, and jump around the stage as he used his body as well as his voice to wring every drop of drama out of each and every line on each and every song for all he was worth. The crowd went wild, many mimicking his antics in the audience. It was at many times deliberately and flamboyantly over the top, but a fun time was had by all.
That's what Herring brought to Letterman last year and brought to Variety Playhouse last night and has led them to their well-deserved success.
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