I find it hard to enjoy live acts that don't look like they're having fun on stage. I'm sure it's hard to have fun after playing the same songs for months on end on the road, with the only variation being the order they're played every night. Yet there are certain bands whose energy exudes in their live performance, creating a greater connection between them, their music, and their crowd.
After Miniature Tigers lamented about their night at the Middle East in Cambridge being their last stop on a tour with Freelance Whales, their impressive ability to keep a crowd entertained as an opener grew exponentially. They invited Freelance Whales onto the stage along with fellow openers, Pretty & Nice, to jam on their last song. Normally, this would seem cheesy, a couple extra members on tambourine and banging on a cymbal. When these three bands convened on the tiny stage, however, they bashed away at instruments, danced, and sang together as a group of people that didn't just share a bus or green room, but as friends who have learned each other's music and melded together as a touring group. It also definitely helped that the tiny tigers also played a great set including the weirdest cover of Hendrix' "Fire" I'll ever hear, slowed down and only keeping the lyrics and opening riff.
Opening with a new song that seemed to have some sound issues, Freelance Whales soon reclaimed their crowd with "Generator ^ First Floor." Their smiles mirrored the crowd's while belting out the opening chant of the song compounded with Glockenspiel, watering can, and harmonium. The entire time, the harmonies were spot on, and the band kept beaming. The band went through their album, Weathervanes sprinkled with some new songs. The new songs melded well enough with the already known singalongs to be forgettable in the best way possible. he second Generator closed the set, and they came back on stage with a seemingly weird encore choice, "Broken Horse." However, the most somber song on the album culminated in another singalong, with the crowd even handling harmonies well.
I thought that nothing would match the time I saw Freelance Whales at the coffeehouse at my school just as Weathervanes was released. I remember them playing the 150 person venue, and somehow I ended up crowdsurfing. Their energy in an even bigger venue was just the same, if not more, and the band was just as comfortable with new songs and old. Months of touring have not taken their toll on how much the group enjoys their music and appreciates their crowd. It's been a long journey since busking in New York City subways, but you did it, Freelance Whales.
