DJ Mugen – Infinitely Danceable

I’d never heard of either of the bands opening for The Naked and Famous on April 9 at The Vogue in Indianapolis. Since I had at least a two-hour drive to get to the show (and thinking that the time zone would change… which it did, sorta, but not to any advantage), I figured I’d check them out at least a bit with whatever I could find online. I found about 10 songs by the Minneapolis band Now, Now on YouTube and gave them a listen to prep for the show. My selection was a mix of tunes from their 2010 Neighbors EP and their 2012 CD Threads. For me, their best tune is “Wolf.”

The live set itself was pretty great. The lighting was muted and subtle, and the band had to play in a small space at the front of the stage in front of the other two bands’ gear, but the closeness made the set more intimate, as if Now, Now were playing on a smaller stage, like in a bar. I could hear the band talk to one another — Jess was having trouble tuning her guitar before a song, and she told the others “Don’t go yet!” It all added to the intimacy of the set, which was a nice counterpoint to The Naked and Famous set that came later.

They played several songs I recognized, but again, I really dug “Wolf,” and they dedicated “Roommates” to the woman working the merch table (who was REALLY cool and helpful when I arrived and picked up my special order items). After their set, during Vacationer’s show, the totally adorable Jess worked the merch table and signed a copy of Threads for me. The generosity and humilty was really awesome. At the end of the night, the whole band was working the merch table and agreed to sign a poster for me and posed for this pic.