Show Pics: Washed Out @ The Mohawk (9/9)

This was pretty much a double headliner show for me. The first time I saw both of the bands that played last night at The Mohawk, Small Black and Washed Out, they played overlapping sets during a SxSW day party, the former backing the latter. Fast forward many years and we are reliving those glory days of buzz and free bandanas.

SOLD OUT!

Sweaty date-night dance party!

Click through for many photos and a few more notes…

I had a chance to catch up with Ryan before the show, they have a few one-off shows left, some dates in Canada, etc., but Small Black is ready to record. They have about 30 songs to pair down and combine or cast off for the next record. Also, there was some apprehension going into the show as the electronics were overheating during the sound check, though it was a spot warmer then.

Small Black‘s live set continues to improve. The trouble with a band that has layered vocals when out of the studio is to get that level of fill, picking the correct vocal track to use at what points in a song and I tend to think Small Black has it about nailed. The set was a great mix of old a new, the crowd ate up high energy tracks and yelled for an encore, though applause was hard work, yelling is easier when you are sweating into pools of sweat.

Ernest reminisced about the very show I mentioned earlier. Washed Out has built up a solid live show, but the strip club DJ crowd interaction remains. My one complaint about an otherwise great live band. Old songs continue to evolve while new material is quite a bit stronger at first pass than previous tours. I would ask that perhaps when he feels it all around, that they clear out and let him go old-school on a card table to throwback to the old days.

Oh, and a shout out to Kat, she used to do the lights The Parish (which hasn’t been the same since she left). Pretty lights.

Fans were sickly happy. ..or massively dehydrated.