Every time I step into Maxwells I always feel like I’m transported into NYC. It has a very different vibe from other Hoboken establishments with it’s cool, downtown feel. The musically known venue is a great place to see shows and grab a good meal.
The place was packed with people eating and hanging out by the bar. As I made my way to the show room in the back I could see the sold out crowd through the swinging doors.
I caught the tail end of Il Albanico. The Brooklyn, NY quintet featuring sensual vocals by Juliana Ronderos. This band has an entertaining and eclectic mix of pop, post punk, and dance rhythms.
Next up was Hundred Waters. The Gainesville, Florida group had a remarkable and indescribable sound, that was really memorizing and lovely. The mesh of harmonizing vocals from the two female singers and indie folk melodies was beautiful. They reminded me a bit of Florence and the Machine.
Freelance Whales. is a band we have been in love with since we saw them as SXSW in 2010 so we were excited to get a chance to see them again. The band came on around 11 and opened with harmonizing melodies of “Aelous.” They played a mix of new songs from Divulia and older tracks from their earlier album Weathervanes. I was surprised by the crowd’s response to the older album versus the new songs. The didn’t seem to go as wild for Divulia as they did for songs like “Generator,” “Hannah,” and “We Could Be Friends.” The crowd had a mixed reaction to the band’s performance. As I surveyed the scene it seemed that half the audience was dancing and rocking out while the other half was just standing there unfazed by the awesomeness of the band. Freelance Whales music is mellow at times, but their upbeat songs like “We Could Be Friends” and “Kilojoules” excited and got (some of) the crowd moving and singing along. My favorite point of the night was when Doris Cellar sang “Spitting Image.” I love the incorporation of her vocals on the new album and the zippy guitars and rhythms on this track. The band ended with a fitting song, “Emergence Exit” and left stage but then came back for a two song encore of “Winter Seeds” and “Starring.” Freelance Whales put on a amazingly good show. They have beautiful melodies that are complimented by the sweet, friendly vocals. Check out a clip from the show below:
For more information on Freelance Whales check out their official website.