Mister Heavenly brought the rock to Bowery Ballroom tonight. The band tours live with Michael Cera on bass duties, bringing truth to their reputation as a indie rock super-group. George Michael got a lot of the attention when they first came on, as expected. A good chunk of the people there were aware that he played with them, but there were also plenty of awe struck fans caught by surprise.
The band started with their self titled song and right away you were aware that these guys were the real deal. With a lineup as stacked as theirs, what else could you expect? They were extremely tight, playing a great set of songs that we can probably expect to hear on their debut album.
Honus Honus and Nick Thorburn shared vocal duties, creating a unique blend of sounds. The juxtaposition of their very different vocals is totally to their advantage. That is the same type of thing that makes Wolf Parade work so well. The songs had a lot of energy and bite on stage, and hopefully the energy doesn’t get lost on the album. They seemed to be loose and having fun on stage, sipping Makers Mark and joking with the crowd. Cera played a great bass, even if his back was turned away from the crowd most of time. He seemed to shy away from the attention, which one can understand. Even with his celebrity status he was an integral component of the band that fit in well.
Considering I only knew two songs prior to the show, I left impressed with their set. You can call me a loyal supporter of Mister Heavenly from now on. Bring on LP #1.
Sun Airway was the 2nd opener, and they sounded great live. Their set was full of dark, dense, songs that sounded like an outer body experience. Really cool stuff. The first opener was Little Shalimar, who said it was only their 2nd show, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell. They were pretty cool as well.
Check out more photos, and the setlist, after the jump:
Setlist:
Sun Airway:
Little Shalimar:
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