Live Review: Tunng, Geoff Farina, Brown Bird @ Middle East

Usually, the opening bands are the ones you want to avoid, but Bostonist is glad we were able to catch Brown Bird Thursday evening. The trio's intensely quiet string arrangements were gorgeous and melodic, and the mastery of unusual instruments is a welcome feature in today's world of lazy guitar riffs slopped over a background of dozens of instruments. Recognizing that plucked cello strings can serve as your rhythm section or that texture can be added through subtle vocal harmonization rather than a twelve-piece band sets Brown Bird apart from many other acts. Their sit-down session set was sleepy but seductive, and definitely persuaded us to buy their new CD Such Unrest.

Geoff Farina is a competent singer-songwriter whose relatively sparse set seemed slightly out of keeping with Brown Bird and Tunng. His earnest lyrics and simple songs might have been more at home in an open mic type setting; there was just so much unique experimentation done by the other bands that it was hard for his more traditional solo effort to stand out.

Tunng sound more or less removed on record, but they put on a really rollicking live show. Unlike other electronically enhanced acts that hide behind laptops, Tunng put their personalities and the instruments up front. Ashley Bates' greasy, Kid Rock appearance; Mike Lindsay's wild-haired, wild-eyed, Davy Crockett wild-man aesthetic; Sam Gender's adorably hatted Colin Firth look; and Becky Jacobs' gorgeous dress and wild hair (almost as beautiful and out-there as her fine vocals) make for an intriguing visual setup on stage, but the band's sonic achievements outweigh their engaging appearance. Phil Winters and Martin Smith are hard to see, but easy to hear; they sit behind the rest of the band with the bass, percussion, and electronic accessories that enhance the sound in unique ways.

Seeing Tunng live blows away the "folktronica" label they've been stuck with--the band is actually a bona fide rock band that just so happens to have some electronic accessories. More bands could benefit from the open-minded approach Tunng take to music, putting in samples where they enhance the instrumental sounds instead of simply over-embellishing the music with unnecessary effects. The audience was seriously into the show, clapping enthusiastically when Bates requested assistance on a particular track, and occasionally clapping (on or off beat) even when not asked to do so.

You might have thought it was a Bosstones show the way some audience members were dancing, but their ultimately excitement was more endearing than annoying. Tunng seemed surprised by the activeness of the audience, but were also appreciative of the fervor. This was apparently the band's first time in Boston (or one of the first), and they called it a "beautiful" city--whether or not you agree with that assessment, Tunng themselves certainly made Boston more attractive for a night.

Highlights of Tunng's set included "Bullets" from the band's new album, Good Arrows and "Woodcat" and "Jenny Again" from Comments Of The Inner Chorus. "Bullets" is a perfectly synchronized setup that moves from a whispery beginning to vocally driven, chant-like rhythms and finally a full-on rock song with guitars going all out. The line "We cut our fingers off / To give ourselves those little extra insights," while somewhat disturbing, exemplifies Tunng's approach to music: they're willing to cut off a few fingers, or cut out some guitar riffs, or add some sampled elements, in order to make a song as insightful--and as engaging--as it can possibly be.

"Jenny Again" features the simple but fantastic line "Buy a dog and call him Pete" that demonstrates the band's ability to combine the everyday and the extreme. The song, about lost/stolen love, hints at murder but deals with the new, normal lives of those former lovers as well. Though "Woodcat" also deals with disturbing aspects of love and death, the song's almost hymn-like chorus "And we all had a lovely time" sums up a Tunng show beautifully. No matter the source of the sounds (electronic or acoustic), or the content of the lyrics (wistful or wicked), you will have a lovely time.

Live Tunng photo from Flickr user Skip the Budgie. Tunng tour poster from the band's website.