When you get down to it – 4/20 is as much about enjoying the good things in life as much as it is about smoking the reefer. So it would make sense that on a quasi-national holiday people would want to get out and enjoy one of humanity’s favorite pastimes – live music. On a night that featured a veritable smorgasbord of choices – from 4/20 celebratory performances from the likes of Stephen Marley to hyped Australian imports (Cut Copy) and the arguably much better Foals, we found ourselves pulling double duty with Freelance Whales and Sundress at the Loft followed by a nightcap of Titus Andronicus at Club Dada. And did we mention that all this went down on a Wednesday? Hump day indeed!
Sundress & Freelance Whales at The Loft
Managed to get to South Dallas’ favorite Indie Music venue in time to catch the final two songs from Denton’s own Sundress; the five piece plays mostly straight forward, ambling space rock with a lot of layered guitar. While showing infinite promise (the collective age of the group has to be about 20), they’d benefit heavily from some light polishing. Sundress may have been an odd choice to open for the much poppier Freelance Whales, however I’ll definitely be looking to catch a full set from them soon.
This was our second time catching Freelance Whales in the last six months. Does that mean they’re necessarily that good? Not quite – the strength of Freelance Whales isn’t exactly in musicianship or creativity – it’s in the dream inducing bliss they instill in their listeners. Download their lastest album, give it a listen on a warm, sunny afternoon day and you’ll see exactly what I mean. So it’s no surprise that Freelance Whales attracted a very nearly sellout crowd of passionate fans for what was said to be their 5th DFW performance over the last couple years. Unique to this night’s performance – midway through the set, right before a performance of Hannah, a man stepped on stage with his girlfriend and popped the question. In many ways that sums up what this band is about – indie rock for hipster couples.
The Whales rolled through most every song off their debut album, Weathervanes, including hitting on their “new” (they also played this song when we last saw them in November) song Enzymes. Look for this to be their last stop in Dallas before they release new material, as the band indicated they’d be hitting the studio soon.
Titus Andronicus at Club Dada
Our next stop took us to the insanely revamped Club Dada in Deep Ellum for the underrated stylings of Glen Rock, NJ natives Titus Andronicus. As probably the most critically acclaimed band playing Dallas that evening (recently released The Monitor – a loose concept album about the Civil War – received an 8.7 from Pitchfork) it was surprising how few people were at this show. Not that I was complaining, of course, as this band is destined for bigger things – but they deserved a bigger crowd.
Titus plays the kind of music that you want to bang your head (and apparently mosh) to. As evidenced the by passioned (and extreme) mosh pit that formed in the center of the crowd during just about every song, the crowd was there to let loose and rock out. Titus obliged, playing a high intensity hour plus long set. The band covered a good mix of material from their 2008 debut, The Airing of Grievences as well as there most recent effort.
It continues to amaze me that a band as good and fun to watch as Titus Andronicus still play such small venues (last time they came through Dallas they hit up the borderline rec room Sons of Hermann Hall). And not that the revitalized Club Dada is small potatoes or anything, but they could easily be playing larger venues for larger crowds. If you haven’t yet, make sure to catch a live set from these guys soon – just make sure to wear sneakers for the moshing.
