Tilly And The Wall. August 6th, 2008 at the Abbey Pub in Chicago, IL. Text by Kathleen Keish. Photos by Andrew Blake.
The difference between going to the circus as a child and going to the circus as an adult is as prevalent as the difference between day and night. As a child, the upbeat cacophony of sight and sound serves as an underage aphrodisiac, while as an adult, nausea-inducing rides and the scent of animal poop taints the once magical experience. Going to a Tilly and the Wall show at any age is like experiencing the carnival as a child. No matter how you may feel about the band, just as many children are wary of clowns and carneys, the show is delightful entertainment that plays upon the senses.
Before attending the show, I was relatively unfamiliar with the band’s music. They are usual suspects on the indie music rounds, but I had not yet made an attempt to justify the hype. They seemed harmless enough; bands with both men and women intrigue me, and I can’t deny that front women Neely Jenkins and Kianna Alarid have an interesting sense of style. But as far as their music goes, I was unsure of what to expect.
After attending the show, I listened to some of their music online and was sad to find that they sound very different live than on recordings. However, something is to be said about this difference; what they lack in genuine live musical talent, they make up for with an intense, electrifying performance. The stage at Abbey’s may have seemed too small to hold such a large band, but the venue itself wasn’t large enough to hold the band’s personality.
One of the band’s notable quirks is that, rather than a drummer, they have a tap dancer (Jamie Pressnall) to literally tap out the beat. (Though other show goers are sure they saw a drum set on the stage, though at 4’11”, I wasn’t able to see too much at times). There is no doubt that Pressnall is a talented dancer, though at times it seemed out of place with the venue. (Once again, a relatively small stage seemed to hinder the band). The band’s leading ladies are true performers in every sense of the word, down to the crazy patterns on their dresses and their endearing, out-of-sync choreography. As both are belting, “And I say, FUCK YOU” during the song “Too Excited”, it was hard not to follow the song’s advice and get too excited. While both have strong vocals, Alarid’s voice is the clearest of all the singers. She definitely carried the band during points of shoddy sound quality and off-key singing from the other vocalists.
Overall, the band was very entertaining for a random Wednesday night. They played songs from all three of their albums, which flowed together to create a set list truly representative of the band’s sound. Though the setting was not ideal, they made use of their surroundings to make the audience feel comfortable during often awkward moments. You may not leave a Tilly and the Wall show a die-hard fan of their simple lyrics and often-brash vocals, but you’ll sure have fun.
Tilly And The Wall - Pot Kettle Black (from O)
Tilly And The Wall - Cacophony (from O)
The difference between going to the circus as a child and going to the circus as an adult is as prevalent as the difference between day and night. As a child, the upbeat cacophony of sight and sound serves as an underage aphrodisiac, while as an adult, nausea-inducing rides and the scent of animal poop taints the once magical experience. Going to a Tilly and the Wall show at any age is like experiencing the carnival as a child. No matter how you may feel about the band, just as many children are wary of clowns and carneys, the show is delightful entertainment that plays upon the senses.
Before attending the show, I was relatively unfamiliar with the band’s music. They are usual suspects on the indie music rounds, but I had not yet made an attempt to justify the hype. They seemed harmless enough; bands with both men and women intrigue me, and I can’t deny that front women Neely Jenkins and Kianna Alarid have an interesting sense of style. But as far as their music goes, I was unsure of what to expect.
After attending the show, I listened to some of their music online and was sad to find that they sound very different live than on recordings. However, something is to be said about this difference; what they lack in genuine live musical talent, they make up for with an intense, electrifying performance. The stage at Abbey’s may have seemed too small to hold such a large band, but the venue itself wasn’t large enough to hold the band’s personality.
One of the band’s notable quirks is that, rather than a drummer, they have a tap dancer (Jamie Pressnall) to literally tap out the beat. (Though other show goers are sure they saw a drum set on the stage, though at 4’11”, I wasn’t able to see too much at times). There is no doubt that Pressnall is a talented dancer, though at times it seemed out of place with the venue. (Once again, a relatively small stage seemed to hinder the band). The band’s leading ladies are true performers in every sense of the word, down to the crazy patterns on their dresses and their endearing, out-of-sync choreography. As both are belting, “And I say, FUCK YOU” during the song “Too Excited”, it was hard not to follow the song’s advice and get too excited. While both have strong vocals, Alarid’s voice is the clearest of all the singers. She definitely carried the band during points of shoddy sound quality and off-key singing from the other vocalists.
Overall, the band was very entertaining for a random Wednesday night. They played songs from all three of their albums, which flowed together to create a set list truly representative of the band’s sound. Though the setting was not ideal, they made use of their surroundings to make the audience feel comfortable during often awkward moments. You may not leave a Tilly and the Wall show a die-hard fan of their simple lyrics and often-brash vocals, but you’ll sure have fun.
Tilly And The Wall - Pot Kettle Black (from O)
Tilly And The Wall - Cacophony (from O)
Labels: Show Reviews
Since when are you 4'11?