Photos by Philip Cosores
Real Estate are not trend setters; their musical style is indebted to the folkiness of Neil Young, the dreaminess of bands like Galaxie 500, and can be (lazily) lumped in with the works of many of their contemporaries. Visually they just look like regular alt-music fans; plaid shirts, jeans, floppy hair, glasses – singer Martin Courtney could be mistaken for Rivers Cuomo circa Pinkerton in low light. It surprised me, then, that people were lining up outside the door for this sold out show for the mere chance of getting in to see Real Estate at the Echoplex. It made me appreciate that, although sometimes the current musical climate seems to have more to do with who’s in fashion than who’s releasing the best music, when a band puts out a record of genuine quality, people will still fall in love with it, no matter who it is.
Big Troubles played before Real Estate, and are opening up for them on the entirety of the current tour, in support of their new album Romantic Comedy. The whole performance seemed a little out of focus, both visually and audibly. The stage was doused in smoke throughout, making the band members seem like silhouettes, and their relative lack of movement didn’t help this. Drummer Sam Franklin was set far back on the stage and blocked off by the rest of the band, making him easily dismissible. The performance itself was fine, but some muddy mixing didn’t help their cause. However, when the songs were strong enough they shone through the muddiness, “Misery” being the prime example of this. Overall it didn’t seem like their best night, but Big Troubles were loud and just about catchy enough to keep the crowd interested.
Real Estate kicked off their set with “Suburban Beverage” from their debut album, immediately relaxing into the quiet confidence that they embodied throughout the set; Alex Bleeker precisely plodding on the bass, Matt Monandile strumming his guitar effortlessly over the top and Courtney adding the nonchalant, airy hook “Budweiser, Sprite, do you feel alright?” This opening settled everyone into the mood of the evening perfectly. Thankfully the muddy sound that was prominent in Big Troubles’ set was vanquished for a much cleaner, pristine sound that emphasised every instrument. From then on they focussed mainly on new album Days, which saw them gaining a little more edge for songs like “Easy,” and “Wonder Years,” while the driving “It’s Real” had the whole crowd singing along to the simple-yet-extremely-effective chorus.
But, the main mode of the night was that of dreamy relaxation. From the crushing “Municipality,” to the heartbreaking “Out Of Tune,” to the nostalgia-soaked “Green Aisles,” the night floated along gracefully with every audience member hanging on every note plucked in the playful guitar work of Courtney and Monandile. The band interacted with the crowd on a personable level, thanking and joking with them, also trying to keep their additional musicians Jackson Pollis (drums) and Jonah Maurer (keyboard) in the conversation.
Real Estate ended their main set with the (relatively) colossal “All The Same,” which stretched out beyond the seven minutes of its studio counterpart, but never came close to feeling taxing, instead becoming more engrossing as it passed effortlessly. Upon leaving the stage everyone seemed to be in such a state of bliss that cheering for an encore was minimal, though everyone remained in place expecting them to return – and they duly obliged to play one additional older favourite.
Real Estate’s performance on Saturday evening was not spectacular in any traditional sense, but it was heart-warming and endearing to see a band, clearly confident in their abilities, but never cocky or showing off. It’s clear that this mentality allows them to make these records that are so understated in their beauty and brilliance, and as long they maintain these characteristics, we could be enjoying Real Estate’s music for years to come.
