Midlake Bust Out In Live Setting

There are a few occasions when bands sound entirely different live than on record. Invariably I expect it to a degree, otherwise I could just stay home and listen to a disc. With Midlake, the difference was a little more pronounced. On record, the Texas quintet traffic in restrained '70s folk-inspired pop songs. In concert, they shed any restraint and make a phenomenal amount of noise, while still retaining the AM radio sensibility that I really dig, making for an astounding show that shattered any previous expectations.

Opener St. Vincent is one very diminutive and twisted waif of a songstress. She hammers away at a guitar twice her size while furiously stomping out a beat for her minimalist blend of garage and art rock. Though she's a one-woman band, there's no looping, a la Feist or Final Fantasy. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but some people in the crowd seemed to get into it.

Playing to a room that was bursting at the seams, Midlake drew mostly from their 2006 Bella Union effort, The Trials Of Van Occupanther, and threw in a handful of tracks from earlier effort Bamnan And Silvercork. "Head Home" and download fave "Roscoe" were mesmerizing with the extra helping of volume, while their more pensive material, like titular track "Van Occupanther," was even more affecting and emotional in concert, as it took on a new level of mournful solitude. A projection screen backdrop displayed videos and photographs, all of which enhanced what was happening on stage.

Midlake don't seem to put a helluva lot of stock in onstage charisma. In fact, they seemed a little shy about the whole thing. Tim Smith didn't even address the audience until nearly six songs into the set, and even that was short and sweet. Lee's compact and crowded stage was shrouded in murky lighting and the band often stuck to its fringes. All of this belied the sheer force of their performance.

They let the rhythm loose on "Young Bride" and the song turned into a cannonball. Even better, above the band was a projected picture of a serene, idyllic winter scene — the perfect antithesis to the madcap scene taking place on stage.

After a handful of encore songs, Midlake wrapped their tight set and offered the crowd some words of thanks. It was a fantastic show and well worth dragging my lazy ass off the couch on a Monday night. If they're swinging through your neck of the woods, I'd suggest you do the same.