Washington DC – No matter how good a concert, there is always a little hole in my heart when my other half (aka Celeste) is not with me. The size of the hole grows larger the more danceable (or, in our case of limited dance skillz, wiggle-inducing) the music. Last night’s concert, featuring The Static Jacks and The Wombats ripped my heart in two.
These bands were sooooo good live and their music is irresistibly catchy.
First up were The Static Jacks who did what any good band does: gets on-stage and rocks out hard with hardly a pause for breath. Their set was great – they played several of my favorites including “Into the Sun”; “Girl Parts”; and “My Parents Lied” and played a few new songs from their upcoming EP: Spray Tan. Their show was only briefly interrupted for a few appreciative remarks to the crowd… and a lively debate about which of The Wombats was the hottest. Also, kudos to the lead singer for being super intense – grabbing onto band members while he sang two inches from their face looking straight into their eyes – but also being able to put down his mic and rock out on a tambourine or wave hand-made signs with random lyrics on them to encourage crowd participation.
Loved. It.
The Static Jacks also win points for being one of the downright nicest and most humble bands I’ve seen in a while. The members walked right into the crowd after the show – shaking hands, drinking beers, and rocking out to the Wombats. I immediately bee-lined for the drummer to congratulate him (and to get a better look at his beautifully ripped arms… I’ll be honest) and he was so appreciative of the shout-out – not a single hint of ego. I also got to talk to the lead singer who, in answer to my question if any of the members were related (they’re all tall, good looking brunettes) only laughed and said: “nah, we just all happen to have the same haircut.” If it meant entrance into that band, I’d adopt the same ‘do.
After The Static Jacks’ show, the crowd was definitely amped – lots more dancing was going on than you would usually see among the usual super-cool 9:30 crowd. And the night was still young – next up were the headliners: The Wombats! The amount of love flowing from the crowd was palpable as the three members took the stage. The 9:30 Club didn’t sell out for these guys, but you could tell their appearance was greatly anticipated by their fan base. They did not disappoint. Their entire repertoire is pretty fantastic but the biggest pleasers of the night were probably Kill the Director, Tokyo and 1996.
Moving to New York might have gotten the largest reaction – something about the UK-based band singing the praises of the greatest of U.S. cities got the American crowd super pumped. But the song that cleaved my heart in two:Techno Fan. So danceable! How can you resist lyrics like:
Shut up and move with me, move with me, or, or get out of my face
I didn’t queue for an hour to leave straight away
Shut up and stay with me, stay with me, or, or let go of my hand
The recorded version is amazingly catchy, but something about hearing it live had me literally jumping up and down wishing only that my Chicago-based sister-wiggle partner could be there too.
An amazing way to spend an otherwise dreary Monday – or any day – highly recommend both these bands.