The Riv kicked into high gear on Sunday night Nov. 6 thanks to New Zealand indie rockers The Naked and Famous, who were in town to promote their brand new album Simple Forms. The group’s Chicagoland visit made for a dazzling performance, led by the soaring vocals of singer Alisa Xayalith.
Backed by a near-blinding white illumination — an instant indicator that lighting was to play an important role in the night’s performance — The Naked and Famous took to the stage in full silhouette, kicking things off with a powerful rendition of one of their latest tunes, “The Water Beneath You.” This marked the first in a number of Simple Forms songs to be played over the course of the night, all of which appeared to go over extremely well with the seas of dancing fans. The first notes of “Higher,” the record’s synth-driven opening track, prompted unanimous approval throughout the venue and the resulting performance certainly did not disappoint. Offering a nice juxtaposition to the otherwise relative upbeat sounds of the set was the mid-set haunting performance of deeper cut “Losing Our Control.”
While more than half of the group’s set was devoted to promoting their new work, those favoring the older material were not left disappointed as many of the night’s highlights inarguably arrived in the form of hits and fan favorites from years past. TNAF devotees erupted upon the band’s launching into the always-welcome strobe-heavy “Punching In A Dream” from the group’s 2010 debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You.
Jesse Wood provided an ultra-steady beat for listeners earlier on, during a rousing rendition of “All of This,” delivering fellow bandmate guitarist Thom Powers a tight backdrop for which to take center stage during one heck of an epic close. “Hearts Like Ours” saw the bulk of the crowd singing note for note while “No Way,” executed in a spot-on acoustic fashion, had the numbers transfixed… especially during the explosive (just short of seizure-inducing) crescendoing finale, bursting at the seams with both light and sound.
TNAF frontwoman Xayalith humbly took a minute to give props to the two earlier bands of the night prior to closing with a crowd-pleasing performance of “Young Blood.” Earlier in the evening, Kamtin Mohager (fronting his electronic pop project The Chain Gang of 1974) kicked things off — admittedly under the weather — managing to hit all the notes, most impressively on the falsetto-rich “I Still Wonder.” The second act of the night, dreampop brother-sister duo from Los Angeles, XYLØ, impressed the masses, thanks in part to Paige Duddy’s natural lyrical style which, on songs like “Afterlife” and “America,” conjured up comparisons to fellow L.A.-based singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey.
The Naked and Famous continue their tour across the U.S. with a show tonight at Columbus, Ohio’s Newport Music Hall.