Mewithoutyou/Sparta/Aloha Live
Last week I went from missing a concert I had really wanted to see in the Of Montreal show, to randomly catching a concert I had no idea I really wanted to see. I had known Sparta was going to be in town Saturday night because people kept telling me at my show the night before I should go. I’m a fan of both At the Drive In and Mars Volta, but never really of Sparta so I had no desire to go. But Saturday night rolls around and I get a call from Adam saying he could get me in free, so I took that offer since my only other option the rest of the night was watch the second half of the basketball game then drink the rest of the night. Let’s just say alcohol was the last thing I wanted to see after our party the night before in celebration of our show (Stark Raving Calm were there b/c they’re good friends of mine, and Sleepwalker was there b/c they live two houses down from me). So, in the end I chose to go to the Sparta concert.
Adam’s plan was simple; walk around the building to the double doors that the band goes in and out backstage, walk right past the security guard confidently giving him a nod if I chose, then walking to the mainstage to watch the show. Well, it worked surprisingly well and the security person just thought I was in one of the three bands playing that night. Once I knew I was home free, I chatted with Adam until the show started. Aloha kicked things off and I loved their set. They had a style all their own that found the drummer using his Toms more than any drummer I’d seen in a while, and the lead singer occasionally rocking out on xylophone. Since I knew nothing of them before, I have no idea which songs they played, but here’s a couple songs with rock xylophone that they could have very well played for all I know.
Next was Sparta. I know their backstory some, former members of At the Drive In and all that, but don’t know a lot of their music. For some reason their set didn’t hold my attention and we spent most of the set sitting at the bar talking about how TV shows have gotten really good the last five years. Sorry Sparta fans if that angers some of you that I didn’t exactly pay attention, but there was nothing that caught my ear besides same distortions used throughout with a guy yelling lyrics. I do enjoy this song though and thought their slower songs were pretty good.
Finally, there was mewithoutyou. For some reason I couldn’t put my finger on who they were exactly and kept mixing them up in my mind with Hellogoodbye, since both don’t have spaces in the name. I kept telling Adam I thought they were the band that had kind of sing/speak vocals and that I’d really enjoyed their album last year if I remembered right. Well, luckily I was thinking of the right band and they were just great. All the songs I remembered hearing from last year’s album Brother, Sister were pulled off without a hitch and possibly the best part was the crowd. I knew they had a following since they play at Cornerstone every year to huge crowds, but their songs are full of chants, wails, and hand claps that the crowd continuously joined in with. I didn’t know when to jump in, but some songs I jumped right in with the clapping or “aah ooh aah” chorus parts and was having one heck of a time. My favorite songs were the little spider themed songs, Yellow, Orange, and Brownish Spider, which are all about a minute or two long with the lead singer and a guitar, but the effect was no less haunting as the crowd sang along.
By the time they’d finished and come back for the “one more song” we’d chanted, I was thoroughly satisfied with this concert, which I never had plans of going to at all. I’d recommend seeing Aloha if they come by, and mewithoutyou for sure. Not so much Sparta, but I’m not a fan either. Seeing as they’re all on tour together now, there’s a good chance you’ll get to see all three sometime soon. Don’t pass it up if they stop by your town.
