Shepherd’s Bush Empire’s boiler seems to have packed in on this mid-December evening as support act Frightened Rabbit amble onto a cluttered stage, tasked with quite literally warming the crowd up for those who have come to see Modest Mouse live.
As punters trickle in the five-piece set about their assignment with an impressive degree of aplomb. Their melodic merging of pop sensibilities with rock attitude is reminiscent of a Scottish Jimmy Eat World in their underexposed Capitol Records days. The captivating dynamics of Scott Hutchinson’s vocals showcased on the brilliant ‘Keep Yourself Warm’, and the inventive, understated rhythms of brother and drummer Grant are tied together by multi-instrumentalist shoe gazers Billy, Andy and Gordon. Closer ‘Square 9’ sees Grant finally off the leash as the rest of the band leave him on stage to end the set and throw his sticks in the air with a victorious roar. The near-full venue roars back with approval and the gauntlet lies at the feet of their more experienced peers from across the Atlantic.
Modest Mouse open with ‘King Rat‘, the B-side for 2007’s Dashboard recently reborn as a video directed by the late Heath Ledger. The upbeat banjo groove has the younger audience members bopping away beneath our comfy level-1 seats. Singer Isaac Brock apologises early on for throat troubles that sadly limit his vocal range tonight. Though this is an unfortunate feature of this evening’s Modest Mouse performance it undoubtedly improves the further they delve into an impressive back catalogue of material spanning 15 years.
More liable for an apology is the sound engineer for disappointing unbalanced sound throughout the majority of the Issaquah outfit’s set. It is habitual for headliners to be louder than supporting acts; however, certain frequencies approach deafening levels at times tonight. It is a real shame because Modest Mouse carry out their work admirably, projecting real enthusiasm for what they do. On the hyper-speedy ‘We’ve Got Everything’, the enthusiasm borders on over-exuberance, however, most other favourites from ‘Dashboard’ to ‘Bukowski’ are performed almost flawlessly. Dual drummers Plummer and Green locking in and bouncing off each other are a must-see. Thankfully, by the time the boys return for their encore, the sound has finally been balanced out allowing a smoother transfer of energy from the band to their audience leaving the fans thirsty for more including the surprisingly omitted ‘Float On’.
Ultimately Modest Mouse’s collective character shines through admirably on what evidently turns out to be a harder-than-desired evening of work. I look forward to seeing them the next time they are in town by which time hopefully Isaac will have had a few cups of lemon tea.
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Review by Kenny the Omnipotent
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