One of our favorite questions to ask local musicians is what they think of the local music scene — is there a community here? On Friday night, as we spotted Hamilton Leithauser and Ian Svenonius in the crowd, it was refreshingly clear that no matter where your music career takes you, D.C. bands come back to support one another. Two bands with deep local roots were taking the stage. The Childballads, led by the ineffable Stewart Lupton, of Jonathan Fire*Eater fame, and headliners The French Kicks, whose Nick and Lawrence Stumpf are natives to D.C. (though the band calls NYC home these days).
On Friday night, the ‘Kicks ventured to Northeast and brought a much bigger crowd to the Rock & Roll Hotel than they did last fall to the Black Cat. In all his tall, monochrome glory, Nick Stumpf led his band on stage and launched right into the set with very little banter. They started things off with a few old favorites, but when Stumpf left the standing mic for the piano bench, the set moved heavily into new material. From what we hear, the band’s upcoming album will feature the same lovely melodies we’ve come to depend on The French Kicks for, minus some of the layering and texture and a smidge of the energy. We’ve come to love this band for their slow builds and the balancing act between anxious exuberance and soothing harmony. A really unique dynamic has always floated through their recordings. The band’s Roller EP, released earlier this year exclusively through eMusic, seemed to be moving into a more upbeat, danceable direction, but that wasn’t what we saw on Friday night. From this road test, we’re expecting an album of solid make out music. And hey, who doesn’t like to make out?
The Childballads put on a great set as always, even throwing a JFE tune in the mix. It’s always a double edged sword watching Stewart Lupton perform; you spend half your energy impressed by the way he captivates a crowd, and the other half worried that he’s going to implode. We’ll chalk it up to some sort of sensational but frail charisma unique to this leading man.
Photo by Gabriella Porter, with permission
