Mates of State and Black Kids

So the Mates of State played at the Glasshouse the other day. As I sped at 93 mph down the I-10 to arrive in time for the second band, I thought about how ridiculous it was that the Black Kids and Mates of State were co-headlining this tour. Ignore the fact that that the MoS craft infinitely more complex and catchy songs with just a keyboard and drum set than the Black Kids could ever hope to string together with their full band and dual keyboards, the Mates have been around for years, while the Black Kids are fresh out o' the womb of indie rock culture. I guess lyrics as compelling as 'I'm not going to teach your boyfriend how to dance with you.' get you equal sized font on the bill as the friggin' Mates of State.

But, I digress. The Black Kids just so happened to be opening that night so I only missed a song or two of theirs and none of the main act. Crisis averted.

And hype aside, I must admit, they were pretty fun. Everyone was hopping (dancing?) around in pure awkward joy. Then after a painfully long set change, husband and wife, Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner, took the stage. They played some slower jams off Re-Arrange Us and Bring It Back to begin. It was great to see how ethereal the band sounded with violin and cello, as I hadn't seen them live since 2004 (opening for Taking Back Sunday of all things). The crowd really exploded though when they played HaHa; Kori existentially exclaiming 'I can't tell what kind of life I've led today.' The band came to the realization that Team Boo was their best album about midway through the set when Jason quipped, 'I guess we found the right era.' after playing a few songs off that disc. Here's a video of them playing Fluke off Team Boo.

So all in all, it was a great show. Thanks to KSCR for the free ticket. P.S. The crowds at shows around this town are becoming increasingly more unbearable. To see what I mean, check out this site: http://lookatthisfuckinghipster.tumblr.com/