Nothing warms the cold heart of a bitter Bostonian more than complaining about college kids. If you catch me in a bad mood, even I will yap about my Northeastern neighbors who had a pizza delivered 100 yards to their door. Though you can gripe about their loud parties and their bedbugs, I’m convinced that the 18-to-21 set makes seeing live music great. (I, of course, realize that people stand on both sides of the fence on this issue.)
Such was the case Saturday night at the Paradise, where the underage Local Natives fans seemed to outnumber the older fans two to one. I went into the show not terribly excited about the Silver Lake five-piece, as part of the tiny minority of folks not madly in love with their debut Gorilla Manor. I left, however, a fan, mostly because Local Natives put on a fantastic show, but also because of their young fans’ contagious enthusiasm.
Impressively, this enthusiasm filled the room three hours before Local Natives took the stage and never dwindled. Even before the Union Line opened the evening, kids had filled the floor and were nodding along to the PA's thumping music. When the Union Line--fellow Californians and friends of Local Natives--started playing, the crowd met each song with loud cheers and bursts of affectionate calls (“We love you, Union Line!”). Though I was a bit surprised by the crowd’s attention to this wet-behind-the-ears band, it made for a sweet opening set, with the musicians saying how much they loved Boston and the crowd returning their affection.
Unsurprising was the crowd’s positive reception of second openers the Ruby Suns. I’m pretty sure melophobe has seen the New Zealand-based trio every time they’ve hit Boston, and with good reason: they’re a total blast. Mixing recorded beats with guitars, synths and live percussion (all three had a drum stick in their hand at some point) they had the room dancing within seconds. Of course, I could attribute that to opening with a cover of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U,” but their original music was likewise fun and catchy. With hints of ‘80s throwback beats, I couldn’t help but think back on fellow Australasia trio Cut Copy’s Paradise performance a few years ago. But where Cut Copy’s androgynous vibe brings sobriety to their brand of dance music, the Ruby Suns sound sweet and lighthearted. Ryan McPhun’s dreamy vocals play no small role in this. By far, the Suns’ best performance was their standout single “Tane Mahuta,” a sweeping, percussion-heavy song with lyrics in Maori and island beats that made me wish that whisky in my hand was a daiquiri.
By the time Local Natives took the stage, this old lady was tired of standing for three hours. Fortunately, the beaming faces and sweet cheers of the youngsters surrounding me compelled me to likewise sing along to the Natives’ explosive set. After a year of what seems like non-stop touring and with a handful of previous trips to Boston, the band and fans knew their roles. The five musicians played through Gorilla Manor with unrelenting passion: Kelcey Ayer somehow singing, drumming and playing keys at once; Taylor Rice and Ryan Hahn closing their eyes, tilting their heads back, moustache and frizzy hair, respectively, blazing in the pounding lights; Matt Frazier faithfully providing a solid foundation of beats behind his drum kit; and bassist Andy Hamm looking like he’s auditioning for Frightened Rabbit. From the opener “World Eyes” to the raucous crescendo of encore “Sun Hands,” the crowd never stopped singing. It is truly remarkable that this young band can continue to play such a small catalog of music with such seemingly genuine love of the music. Gorilla Manor feels fresh not only to this new fan, but also to Local Natives‘ fervent fans and, impressively, the band. But, uh, time for some new material, boys, ‘kay?
