Sian Alice Group, The Postmarks
The Middle East in Cambridge, MA
October 19, 2009

Ant talked me into going to this show because his wife didn't want him treking to Cambridge by himself. The Revival Tour was going on downstairs, which featured bands I was more familiar with, but I really dug the songs I heard from The Postmarks and Sian Alice Group, so I agreed to go.

Slightly before 4 o'clock, my day hit a roaring fan, and the events that followed led to me being pretty pissed off and us arriving for the opening band's last song. They were okay; hipster sounding keyboard indie rock complete with the nice shirt and tie get up. The song wasn't bad, but I wasn't crushed that I missed most of their set.

Its a weird feeling not quite knowing the band you are mainly there to see, especially when treking all the way to Cambridge to do so, but The Postmarks' set made me feel like I made a good choice. They played some great melodic indie songs, fronted by the beautiful voice of their singer. While the band played great, with some impressive bass work, the focus was on the singer. She gave off the aura that she was born to be a front woman, even if her whispered-like vocals seemed drowned in the mix. They were tight and had a lot of energy, mostly fed off of her lead. I don't know how Ant found this band, but I'm glad he did.

I came to the conclusion that Sian Alice Group, with their long, slow and moody songs, were a band that you had to be in the mood to listen to. Midway through the first song, which didn't seem to end or go anywhere, I realized that I was not in the mood for them. Ant hated them off the bat and we left after about two songs. They had some interesting parts, but they were buried under many boring moments. Its a good thing The Postmarks made the night worth it.

Written by: RF
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