See also: Twin Shadow: Songwriter Trades in Gauzy New Wave Honesty See also: Download: Bogan Via's Sparkling, Pulsing "Kanye" See also: Take Cover: Bogan Via Covers Department of Eagles
Twin Shadow and Bogan Via @ Crescent Ballroom| 9/4/12
Twin Shadow played its first Phoenix show last night and there's no denying that frontman George Lewis, Jr. was the man of the hour. He stole the spotlight with his new wave sex appeal and some remarkable guitar skills--plus, he had his very own cut out hanging out by the merch booth.
The Twin Shadow buddy may be charming, but it can't emote like Lewis, and it certainly can't write a novel or an album.
Twin Shadow's set had a good mix of debut album Forget and Confess, which was released a little over a month ago. The new songs were well received, with the nearly sold out crowd dancing as soon as the band opened with "Five Seconds," though fans may have just been flattered because Lewis called them a good looking bunch.
The new songs held up fantastically live, with "Golden Light" feeling like a triumphant ending to an iconic '80s movie where the good guy finally gets the girl--and there was no crying when said movie was over.
Said theoretical movie progressed with "Run my Heart," as Lewis insisted that he's not in love, a fact he once again emphasizes in "Slow." His lyrics make him the antihero, like Blane in Pretty in Pink. He may not be Duckie, but he sure is charming for "the wrong guy." Plus, how can someone who spends his downtime racing go karts be all that bad?
Lewis prompted the crowd to have a dance off during "At My Heels." The all ages section was initially winning and had some seriously entertaining dancers, but Lewis declared the 21-and-over section the winner because some girl flashed him.
Flashing aside, the audience continued to get into the songs and sang along to what was without a doubt the crowd favorite,"Castles in the Snow." After a sultry rendition of "Forget," the band returned for a two song encore.
"Sometimes people aren't deserving of encores, but you guys are very deserving," said Lewis, who claimed Phoenix was one of the best cities the band has played in so far.
The encore consisted of a couple more songs from Forget,"Shooting Holes at the Moon" and "Tether Beat," ending a fairly lengthy set on a high note.
Poolside dropped off the bill, so local folk pop duo Bogan Via was the only opener. Bret Bender and Madeleine Miller shared vocal duties, as Bender strummed a guitar for the first half of the set. The electronic last half of the set featured two keyboards and fit right in with Twin Shadow's sound. Bogan Via's forthcoming EP will have the same folk/electronic split sound and will be available by October.
Setlists and more photos on page two.
Twin Shadow Setlist: Five Seconds Beg for the Night I Don't Care Golden Light Patient Tyrant Destroyed When We're Dancing Run My Heart Slow At My Heels Castles in the Snow Forget
Encore: Shooting Holes at the Moon Tether Beat
Bogan Via Setlist: Afternoon Wonderland Maple Staple Being Light Purple Catacomb Sticks and Stones Copy & Paste Tes Kanye Critic's Notebook: Last Night: Twin Shadow at Crescent Ballroom. Personal Bias: I checked out Twin Shadow's set between Yeasayer and American Nightmare at FYF and wanted to hear more. The Crowd: Hipsters dabbling in '90s fashion. Overheard in the Crowd: "LIARS!" as George Lewis, Jr. asked who saw the band in Tucson. Random Notebook Dump: If girls are going this crazy for Twin Shadow, I can only imagine what the response for The Weeknd will be like.
