Wild Beasts Fall Tour feat Twin Sister – REVIEW

On the Wild Beasts Fall tour feat. Twin Sister, they came to Lincoln Hall in Chicago. You can check out our review after the break!

One of the most anticipated concerts of this great fall season was Wild Beasts making their return to Chicago.  Having moved up from Schuba’s on their previous tour to Lincoln Hall for this tour, this was not a show to be missed.  Wild Beasts are a band from Kendal, England, and they truly defy classification.   While often lumped lumped in the catch-all “indie rock,”  there are bits of prog, pop, dance and even reggae sounding drums running through the music.

The band opened the set with Lion’s Share, the first track from their new album, Smother.  The song began with just keys and singer Hayden Thorpe’s incredible falsetto.  Slowly, all of the other instruments joined in, including another keyboard, drums and an extra percussionist.  As each layer was added and the band built up to a crescendo, a similar reaction was taking place in the crowd.  Switching things  up for Bed of Nails, the band almost all played different instruments, with 2 guitars (including one played with a violin bow), bass, drums and keys.   This was a recurring theme for the night, as guitars, bass and keys were played by all of the members of the band with the exception of drummer Chris Talbot, who spent the whole night behind his kit.

The first initial huge reaction by the crowd was for This Is Our Lot, from Mercury Music Prize nominated album Two Dancers.  The band locked in to a tight opening groove with the drums and a very creative bass line, before Thorpe’s falsetto took over the song.  Returning to their current album, Deeper featured rich baritone vocals from bassist Tom Fleming.  The incredible range between the vocals is one of the bigger selling points of the band.

Much to the chagrin of longtime fans, Devil’s Crayon was the only song from the chaotic debut album Limbo, Panto.  If Smother is a cup of coffee, by comparison Limbo, Panto is a triple shot espresso.  A bit more of the energy from that album would have been useful, as some of the crowd drifted prior to the start of Devil’s Crayon.  Rebounding from the slower section of the set, the band closed very strongly with more upbeat songs such as We Still Got The Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues, Reach A Bit Further, and Hooting and Howling, possibly their biggest hit to date.

After a brief encore break where the sound guys were trying to fix some equipment, the band returned to deafening cheers.  Fortunately, they saved some of their best songs for last.  The single keyboard note that opened The Fun Powder Plot was instantly recognizable and had the crowd ready to rock out.  All The Kings Men offered the most deviation from the album version, and the crowd was really starting to get involved in the show again.  Finally, the band closed with a  raucous version of the fittingly titled End Come Too Soon.  Following the slow building pattern of other songs, the loud ending brought a definitive end to a great show by an up and coming band.

Opener Twin Sister are a hotly tipped buzz band from Long Island.  Despite being a younger band, they really understood how to win over a crowd.  From the first note of Lady Daydream, a catchy dream pop song, they owned the room.  Almost every song featured hooks that drew in the crowd and got them moving.  The soundscape was similar to Sigur Rós in that one could just get lost in the music and wake up several songs later.  The crowd was entranced by the hooks and ethereal vocals of singer Andrea Estella.  In a rarity for an opening band, the crowd kept cheered for an encore, which the band was gracious enough to perform.  Twin Sister will definitely be a band to follow as they mature in their sound.

Information about the review…
Tour: Wild Beasts Fall Tour
Bands:  Wild Beasts feat. Twin Sister
Date: October 1, 2011
Venue: Lincoln Hall in Chicago, IL