New Zealand band Ruby Suns were a fitting opener for Local Natives during their stop in Philly last week. They have an equally laid back breezy sound and matching energy just on a smaller scale. From the moment go the trio were at their tropopical best, even a minor snafu with one of their prerecorded tracks couldn’t slow their flow.
They did pull in a heavier sound than I was expecting pushing the bass forward which gave their music an even dancier edge. It was clear a lot of people came to see them but those who just showed up early to see Local Natives were pulled into their set. Their stellar take on Prince’s “I Would Die For You” was definitely worth the price of admission. Despite being the smaller band the three with all their loops and samples effortlessly filled Trocadero’s large theater.
Local Natives took the stage next and set about delivering their pure California pop charm. Perhaps because I have now seen Local Natives a number of times, always in a more intimate setting, I felt the group’s smartly layered and percussively rich music lost a lot of it’s richness when blown up so large. While their actual playing was as delicious as ever and they were clearly having a lot of fun playing and feeding off the crowd’s enthusiasm it still sounded somewhat muddy.
The set hit all the high points off of their album Gorilla Manor “Airplanes,” “Shape Shifter,” “Sun Hands” to name a few. If you were just seeing them for the first time there was plenty to look at; seeing them live brings new character to what hear on the album – I am particularly fond of the rotating responsibility for percussion and the awesome harmonies they pull off- but the full effect was lost as the grand space ate a lot of the high end. The emphasis of the bass add a bit of new flavor but did a disservice to the intensity of the cymbals.
I will say the group’s rendition of Talking Head’s “Warning Signs” sounded the best I’ve every heard it under these conditions. Whether that is due to the difference in original composition or simply a fluke of the night I can’t say. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Local Natives will continue to draw in more fans I just hope as they begin to write new material for their next album they take into consideration what it will take to fill the venues they’ll be playing without loosing any of their magic.
[MP3] Tane Mahuta – Ruby Suns
Local Natives are playing on Tuesday in Camden Town, should be ace! http://www.thecamdenstore.co.uk/camden-live-listings-11-22-2010