On Sunday evening in the District of Columbia, Streetlight Manifesto returned to the 9:30 Club stage. With a feverish set of their signature ska-punk, this was a night that truly belonged to the horns.
Streetlight Manifesto has etched their own place in the music continuum, not quite a throwback to the third wave of ska in which they get lumped in (which peaked in the ’90s with bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Goldfinger, and Reel Big Fish), yet not exactly a full-fledged member of the still-evolving fourth wave. Held together over the years vocalist/guitarist and founding member Tomas Kalnoky (the only constant member since the band’s inception in 2002), they have proven themselves true road warriors, and have made D.C. a regular stop on their travels.
As the doors opened at 6pm, presumably for a slightly younger crowd, a herd of fans eager to get out of the evening rain filed in and filled the venue in short order. As if the anticipation was just too much to bear, the evening kicked off to a slightly early start, with Lionize taking the stage just after the 7 o’clock hour.
“Wheaton’s Finest” wasted no time getting into the groove, opening their set with “Vessel” from their latest album, Superczar and the Vulture. With speakers adorned with the Maryland flag, vocalist/guitarist Nate Bergman thanked the crowd for a wonderful DC homecoming, and Lionize took the club on a journey of their signature reggae-infused hard rock. Lionize is definitely the sum of its parts though, with an astounding rhythm section of bassist Henry Upton and Drummer Mel Randolph (who later added a stunning, jazz-inspired drum solo that was beyond impressive). Keyboardist Chris Brooks injected the right amounts of Kingston-meets-funk groove into the music, and Bergman’s vocals were both subdued and mighty in exactly the right spots.
For “Self-Propelled Experience Approximator,” the band was joined by the superbly talented horn section of Streetlight Manifesto. The song morphed into a long jam session, and just as it seemed like the jam was getting loose and coming apart a bit, it snapped back together and finished with precise intensity. The horn section stayed on stage as they went into “Trustifarian,” and after that, the crowd was treated to new material, a preview of what is to come in 2013.
The crowd was a bit restrained, with the only activity being smiling, a little dancing, and a lot of head-bobbing. When I discussed it with Nate Bergman later in the evening, he actually seemed pleased with that, responding “That’s good, that means there was a lot of listening. We like that.”
After a very brief set change that showed the stage stripped down to a meager space with a backdrop, Streetlight Manifesto (all seven of them) made their way to the stage to the sounds of the Sanford & Son theme song, and instantly broke into “Everything Went Numb” to kick things off with a bang.
Within 20 seconds of the song beginning, it became apparent that the crowd had been conserving its energy for the ska-punk extravaganza that ensued. Crowdsurfer after crowdsurfer floated by, and the floor opened up in a mass of hyper energy, all of which gave the intrepid staff of the 9:30 quite the workout.
As Streetlight went into songs like “We Will Fall Together” and “Never Be Afraid,” Tomas Kalnoky gave it his all, but did so from far stage right. Front and center, and the true stars of the show was the horn section. Unlike many other ska punk bands, Streetlight’s sound is very much a “guitar in the background, horns in the forefront” sound, with Kalnoky’s guitar at times getting lost behind the vanguard of brass and woodwind. The frontline of alto, tenor and bari sax, trumpet and trombone were in perfect unison, dancing and bouncing around as they expertly played off of each other.
The frantic pace never let up, as songs old and new were heard, including “Who Hides the Night (Oh Me)” and “The Three of Us,” from their forthcoming album, The Hands That Thieve. As Streetlight Manifesto ended their set with “Big Sleep,” the exhausted but elated crowd filed out in what seemed to be a mass of sweat, bruises and smiles.
Photos: Julia Lofstrand
Lionize
