Check out this review of last Wednesday's Pinback show at The Showbox, by Victoria Holt, for The Stranger—and also a review and photos from the Father John Misty and the Walkmen at the Neptune. Keep reading!

"Only two songs into Pinback’s Seattle set, people were already screaming requests. The meditative, heady indie band from San Diego has an intense following of men and women both young
and old, and many were singing along. Rob Crow (guitar) and Armistead Burwell Smith IV (bass) created intoxicating vocal harmonies, while Chris Prescott delivered an anchoring beat for the formers’ progressions to dance upon. Crow brought his own cooler of beers, resting them during songs in a sweet cup holder on his mic stand. Photos of family had been adhered to an amp, giving the stage an inviting home atmosphere. Smith played piano for a few tracks, including the newer “Diminished,” andCrow danced around the crowd letting people sing for “Fortress.”

The track “Loro” was undoubtedly the crowd’s favorite, as they danced and sang along despite the song’s laid back vibe. Other highlights included “Penelope,” “Boo,” “Good to Sea,” and “Bouquet.” The band’s prolific songwriting easily provided enough material for a two hour set, but the show never felt stale. Had they the chance, the crowd would have undoubtedly stayed there all night.

And Father John Misty and the Walkmen at the Neptune:

“A lot of Red Mills went into this song,” Walkmen front man Hamilton Leithauser explained last night before starting the track “We Can’t Be Beat.” The song was recorded in Seattle along with others from 2012’s Heaven, the band’s seventh studio album. The band was performing as part of KEXP’s Little Big Show series, where bands play to raise money for charities. This Seattle show was hosted by Starbucks and going to benefit Youth in Focus, an afterschool photography program for disadvantaged teens. While The Walkmen’s later albums have taken a more contemplative and optimistic turn, early singles showcase a side of Leithauser which is dark and complicated. A personal favorite is “The Rat,” off of 2004’s Bows + Arrows, where pounding, frenetic drums are layered with the full bodied, wall-of-sound style guitar the band is known for, and Leithauser practically screams into the mic. He reminisced about playing “138th Street” at Graceland before it became El Corazon, and how “those were the days.” “In The New Year,” from You & Me, is an uplifting, expansive ballad which was rendered beautifully live. In terms of crowd pleasers from their debut album, while they didn’t play “Wake Up,” they did deliver on “We’ve Been Had.” The band always used to joke about the latter, “You may have heard this one. It’s in a car commercial.” This band has grown so exponentially that their songs no longer need such introductions. Leithauser gives it his all, straining high notes until his neck veins are about to burst.
If you haven’t heard The Walkmen live, you really haven’t heard them
at all.

Opening the night was folk rocker Father John Misty (Joshua Tillman), of recent Sub Pop release Fear Fun. Before starting his set, he remembered being kicked out of the former movie theater for being too stoned and loud. “Now,” he mused, “I can be as stoned and loud as I want.” The crowd giggled as he commented on one of the room’s decorations of Jesus riding a dolphin, saying the spiritual events of that time were strange indeed. The ex-drummer for the Fleet Foxes was a character, dancing around and gesturing with his hands, acting out the lyrics to his songs. While most of the set felt light hearted and charming, the final track really caught people’s attention. “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” devolves into absolute chaos, and the stage was bathed in red light and strobes as guitar solos screamed and Tillman gyrated around with his mic stand. The lighting mimicked that of the haunting video, where a seemingly normal girl wanders around crying, getting nosebleeds, eating flowers, making out with random men, and suddenly attacking them. It was much more somber than the rest of the set, but this element of darkness made the performance far more intriguing.