by Brittney Corridean
Last Friday night at Union Transfer, Wild Beasts, an indie rock band from England, put on quite a show with opening guests, Mutual Benefit. The old Sphagetti Warehouse venue has been renovated into a cozy space, made of old wood and new steel with exposed structures that stretch from ceiling to the walls.
The crowd was a mix of all ages and early on, a troop of admirers were leaning against the stage. You could see they were eager for the show to start. Arcade Fire was playing in the background along with a couple other alternative bands and the chatter that was going on reminded me of a small cafeteria; just enough where you can’t make out what is being said but everyone is talking. The stage was covered in instruments of all sorts and the bright fluorescent lighting from above was juxtaposed with the colorful ones dancing on the stage.
Mutual Benefit was the first band to go on. Right away I noticed the drummer was immersed in percussion and had wind chimes which added to his supple beat. They have a very gentile, whimsical sound that reminds me of Fleet Foxes. One of the songs they covered was “Golden Wake” off of their Love’s Crushing Diamond album.
Overall, they had excellent harmonies and a stellar moonlight type of essence about them. At one point during the show, the guitarist’s hands moved immensely fast on the guitar, but the tune coming out was steady. It was pretty cool see how he had complete control over his instrument.
Once Wild Beasts came on, the crowd cheered and stammered even a little closer to the stage. They opened up with “Mecca” and it was impossible not to get the goose bumps when you hear the low tone of Hayden Thorpe’s voice. They had this slow moving sway about them that goes perfectly with the music. It looked like their sound was literately passing through them.
At one point in the show, the band’s guitarist pulled out a violin bow and started playing with it. I had never seen that before but it created a very unique sound that went along so well with their electronic vibes and strong bass. I was in awe. During the performance, you could hear the fans screaming out names of songs they wanted to hear. The band not only acknowledged this, but would just look at each other and kind of shrug like, “okay, we can do that one.”
For the encore, they started with their hit song “Wanderlust” and the crowd was not displeased. They came back on stage almost immediately and bowed in thanks for the applause and admiration. You could tell their fans are truly devoted. With their unique sound and low registered voices, it’s a hauntingly good show to see.
