When I heard Sleeper Agent was opening at Irving Plaza I jumped at the chance to see the Kentucky sextet live. On the heels of their Late Night with Jimmy Fallon performance they were opening for folksy rocker Ben Kweller.
The show opened with the NY band The Dig. Four guys dressed in leather and plaid took the stage. They started out with a mellow tune and then rocked the house with thirty minutes of upbeat music that blended classic rock with jarring electrified keys and grinding guitars.
After a lengthy set up, Sleeper Agent took the stage at 9pm to a packed house. The tin drum like beats started and they opened with “Love Blood.” They played two more songs and then introduced themselves to a less than enthused crowd.
They played a rockalicious ambitious set, but the one thing that was lacking was crowd’s enthusiasm. To my dismay the people were not as stoked as I was with their performance. There was an exception of a few people in the front of the stage to the far left. It really bummed me out that the audience was not digging the band.
One thing that cannot be denied is their effort and vocal range. Watching the set you can’t deny the magnetic chemistry between vocalists Alex and Tony that was a killer. By third song in “Proper Taste” the crowd seemed to be a little more into the music. I was a little distracted when the bouncer ran past me into the crowd over to two guys in the audience. Not sure what happened but he gave them some kind of warning and then went back to his post in front of the stage. I was glad that it didn’t interfere with the show too much.
Sleeper Agent’s energy was amped up towards the later part of their performance when Alex jumped up onto the barricade and sang her heart out. Tony then joined her on the floor where they sang together. They played the rest of the songs on their debut album Celebrasion, “Get It Daddy,” “Sugarcane,” “That’s My Baby,” and “Get Burned.” It was awesome watching Alex strut around stage commanding the music with her Janis Joplin-like with her hair swinging dancing and swaying.
They ended with my favorite song, “Be My Monster.” Despite the crowd’s lack of energy Sleeper Agent played their hearts out.