The Ruby Suns
Echo - April 14, 2010
I met up with a couple friends of mine at this show. When asked which band they were there to see, they answered Toro Y Moi. One of them elaborated that, while he was a fan of the artist, he’d really come to see how Toro Y Moi was going to pull off putting on a concert with nothing more than himself, his trusty iBook, and his guitar.
The answer seemed to be that he was just gonna go for it. And it seemed to be working. The place was packed, and Toro Y Moi was up on stage in his sunglasses and hoodie and wiggling around while fussing with his iBook and small keyboard. It was somewhat entertaining, if only because it took some serious chutzpah.
Next up were The Ruby Suns, three New Zealand boys in t-shirts and skinny jeans (white skinny jeans for the singer, no less). Most noticeable, though, was that they were just so damned happy. Although the crowd thinned out a bit after Toro Y Moi, they filled the place up with their driving beats (yum, as always) and attitude.
The Ruby Suns are like the Caribbean by way of that land down under. They’re a little bit Vampire Weekend, but without all that weird college nonsense. The way the drummer, Alistair Deverick, and singer, Ryan McPhun, hit the beats, it gives the band a worldly sound. And the bassist, Graham Panther, was doing some serious double time towards the end of the set.
I still feel like a dork for admitting this, but I really liked Rockapella as a kid, and there’s something communal about The Ruby Suns that gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling I remember from sitting in my room listening to tracks about the US capitol cities. McPhun almost looks like he’s singing karaoke when he’s got the mic in his hands, and that’s a very charming quality to have. I was quite pleased with the concert in total, but I was definitely drawn into that New Zealand trio. |
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