Opening for Rilo Kiley across the country brings Thao Nguyen and her band, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, to venues appropriately sized for her massive sound. On her previous go around opening for Xiu Xiu, Thao played far more intimate venues such as the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, but moving her massive energy and dynamic sound to the Electric Factory this week made her live performance all the better. Moving from one of the smallest venues in a city to one of its largest is no easy feat, but Thao with the Get Down Stay Down made a seamless transition and filled up every square inch of the Electric Factory with their delicious brand of indie folk pop.
Thao rocks hard on stage, pounding away on her guitar, yet retains every ounce of sweetness in her voice that can be found on her recordings. She powered through a set heavy with reverb and brought the crowd back to a state of elation following the confusion that resulted from first opener Benji Hughes. Despite her slight stature, Thao rips up the stage with a fierce energy, beating on her guitars and dancing wildly around the stage and the crowd loved for her because of it.
Vocally emotional, Thao sings with great inflection and creates intricate hooks to produce a jaunty and folky pop rock sound sure to incite a dance party and sing along. Thao with the Get Down Stay Down brought their all to stage in a tight and high energy set that left the crowd at the Electric Factory wanting more, much more, despite the heavy anticipation that awaited Rilo Kiley’s appearance.
Thao Nguyen, with her Get Down Stay Down, is definitely an act you want to catch. She’ll be finishing out the Rilo Kiley tour through mid-June and hitting a couple select dates in the South (dates below).
more photos @ flickr
Tour Dates:
Jun 07 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live *
Jun 08 – Richmond, VA @ Toad’s Place of Richmond *
Jun 10 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa *
Jun 11 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel *
Jun 12 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm *
Jun 15 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom *
Jun 16 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s *
Jun 19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Jun 20 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
* w/ Rilo Kiley
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down: website | myspace
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