Last Friday, two of indie pop’s finest acts, Twin Shadows and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart graced the Black Cat stage for a sold-out show.
It’s much easier to understand all the hype surrounding George Lewis Jr., frontman extraordinaire, and his blogosphere-approved debut band Twin Shadow, after seeing the band’s dynamic live performance. Live, Twin Shadow takes the synth pop of “Forget” and turns it on its head, with guitars supplanting its slinky synth lines and Lewis’s vocals not once missing their mark.
Twin Shadow’s fairly short set included standouts from “Forget,” an album that seems tailor-made for a live setting with faster-paced album standouts like “Shooting Holes,” “I Can’t Wait,” “At My Heels” and “When We’re Dancing” riling up the young, tragically hip crowd enough to dance. Lewis, with his gigantic halo of hair and vignettes about belligerent D.C. cops, is an effortless performer and kept the audience in rapt attention. The shimmering pop of “Forget” was dominated by synths, but Twin Shadow’s guitar-heavy rendition of “Castles In The Snow” was lighter and dancier, ultimately proving to be better than the original.
Twin Shadow’s set was strong and succinct, and threatened to steal the show from the night’s next act. But as soon as Brooklyn quintet The Pains of Being Pure At Heart took the stage and promptly launched into an invigorating take on My Bloody Valentine sound-alike “Belong,” the first song from their recent release of the same title, it became clear that nobody would be upstaging the night’s stars.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s phenomenal set didn’t include any surprises, as they played earnest, faithful renditions of their ’80s-inspired indie pop. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart don’t have much material to work with, only two albums and an EP, but their show featured the best of the band’s music so far, including crowd favorites “Young Adult Friction,” “Come Saturday” and new single “Heart in Your Heartbreak, ” accompanied by impassioned crowd sing-along’s.
The band’s straightforward live show was a heartwarming affair, as beaming frontman Kip Berman profusely thanked the crowd for their enthusiasm and support. It was tough not to be charmed by the Pains of Being Pure At Heart, and their performance capped off a fantastic indie-pop doubleheader.
mmcdermott@theeagleonline.com
