Being the darlings of the music blog scene does have its perks. Secret Cities, in their first visit to the Rose City, managed to finagle a slot between two local bands, Wishyunu and Housefire, for the latter’s CD release party at Berbati’s Pan on Thursday night. It was an interesting position for the budding stars to be in, and if there was one lesson from the night, it was that blog-fame doesn’t always translate into fame in real life, as evidenced by the scant crowd that arrived in time to catch the Fargo natives’ set. Too bad, because the potential that has been identified by music geeks elsewhere was on display to fine effect, and frankly, the band deserved a better turnout than they got.
The crowd was even more sparse for openers Wishyunu. A handful of early arrivers took advantage of the lounge seating area, and the Portland duo’s atmospheric keyboard-and-drum arrangements provided an ideal soundtrack to that setting. One could complain that, in spite of the appeal of the music, Wishyunu’s performance wasn’t terribly engaging, but that would be unfair. It was apparent that what spectators were there were merely waiting on the later acts, and if Wishyunu’s set was notably reserved, it was probably appropriately so.
Housefire, on the other hand, enjoyed a considerably larger audience than either of the other two acts, evidence of a strong local following. As one would expect, their cadre of fans were suitably stoked for the show, but in spite of greater premium on stage presence (and the presence of rather a lot of musicians on the stage) their performance seemed aimless at best. It may be a necessary caveat to point out that this seems to have been the minority opinion – much of the audience appeared to be no less enthralled than the musicians, who often looked to be in the grip of a religious experience or some ecstasy-inducing drug that nobody deigned to slip into my drink – but perhaps this one performance simply wasn’t a proper initiation to a band that is obviously making it work for a lot of people.
Sitting somewhat awkwardly between these two local acts was Secret Cities, playing to a smallish audience that may or may not have been there expressly for them. If venue-packing appeal continues to elude Secret Cities, though, it can at least be said that few bands could be as delightful in the setting of a half-empty room. Humble, gracious, and apparently happy to be there, the band was as charming for their lack of pretension as their gorgeous music. When vocalist Charlie Gokey addressed the audience to say this was his first time in Portland, keyboardist Marie Parker chimed in to ask, “did you say who we are?” With a sheepish grin, he replied, “Are we not that famous yet?” Contained in that little exchange was the whole complicated truth of the band, a juxtaposition of divergent indicators of success: great expectations on the one hand, and a meager audience in one of the finer music cities in America on the other.
One indicator about which there was no ambiguity was the music. Certainly, some of the slower tracks had a tendency to meander a bit, but the band’s chemistry and charisma were both notable throughout the set. And when they were on, particularly on some of the more up-tempo tracks, they were a sheer joy to watch. It wasn’t clear how much of the crowd was there to see Secret Cities, but gradually the enthusiasm mounted. By their final song, a poppy, upbeat number that seemed to command a certain amount of ass-shaking, the crowd had grown substantially, and some fully warranted dancing finally broke out.
The trek from blog darlings to full-on indie darlings may yet be a long one, but if there are big things in store for this band, as seems to be the case, it was certainly a treat to see them in this setting, at this early stage of their career. It’s not often you hear a band say “please” and “thank-you” to the sound guy, which members of Secret Cities did at various times over the course of the evening. Perhaps they won’t always be so humble, but for now, it was a refreshing look at a band that has a long and promising road ahead. Next time they come to Portland, Secret Cities may not be quite such a secret anymore.
