It’s amazing what a plug on the Urban Outfitters website AND the prime time slot on The CW can do for a band. Needless to say, The Echo was filled to the brim Monday night as The Pains of Being Pure At Heart returned to LA to kick off their summer tour. It was nice to see such a turn out for an act that just months ago was relatively unknown. They made their west coast debut at Spaceland back in April, having since become one of the most talked about acts to come from Brooklyn this year, even more than those like Crystal Stilts or School Of Seven Bells. And why not? Their self-titled debut has been received well, being compared to some place between My Bloody Valentine and Belle & Sebastian. That may be a generous assessment for newcomers, but they’ve surely got potential.
Their live show was predictable, but rather fun. The Pains don’t do much to amp up the “wow” factor of their performance, except just being themselves, as one would expect. Peggy stays rather collected through the set, giving a wry smile every few songs (how many acts these days actually smile?), and throwing up a banter with Kip from time to time. They ran through songs from their debut, adding in a few b-sides from their single releases and making the time to debut some new material, which sounds promising for the upcoming months.
Let’s hope that The Pains of Being Pure At Heart stick to what they love, which, as they proved last night, is making music, not only as a band but as friends. It’s always nice to see a live act love what they do, without the lure of “making it big.” Despite their status as hype fodder, it’s clear they haven’t let it go to their heads just yet.
Photo by panorady.
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