by Ziggy Merritt

This past Thursday at the Boot and Saddle saw a night of low-key indie folk melodies on the part of Small Feet, currently touring in the US in support of their recent debut, From Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like the Ocean. Nick Diamonds filled out the bill for them here, bringing along his eclectic flair for a full performance of his 2015 release, City of Quartz.

The latter filled the stage not long after Small Feet finished out their short set. True to previous performances, Diamonds’ set focused around the sound and style of City of Quartz with a compliment of well-polished synths, drum machines, and the occasional pick-up of the electric guitar. Red light flooded the cramped corners of the stage for the performance as the audience turned into a dark, thronging mass wiggling alongside the excited tempo of the night. Some of the more memorable hits of the night included the sunny performance of “Bohemian Groove” helped in part by the infectious and worbly wah-wah-wahs provided by the keyboardist. The chaotic dance beat of “I’m Nobody” proved to be an unexpected favorite as it preserved and proudly displayed the numerous samples of the track, most noticeably a soundbite from a Colbert Report show in order to tout the wicked and wild bass line.

Small Feet’s prior performance downgraded the electronic fizz that would soon overtake the night, into something more introspective and appropriately reminiscent of the upcoming autumnal season. Though playing through a decidedly short set, the high, spirited vocals of Simon Stalhamre glided alongside his band’s best work including a cold and haunting rendition of their single, “Rivers.” In contrast “All And Everyone” gave the set some much needed sunniness and cheer. Yet the band provided that in full between breaks in the set as is fully represented by the quote of the night, “I can smell the polar bear on you” prompted after Stalharme asked if any fellow Swedish were in the audience that night. That same audience was disappointingly sparse for what became a brief if powerful performance from Small Feet who expertly conveyed nuances in their performance that outshone their studio recordings.