As was evident from the Lawrence, Kansas show, the Tilly and the Wall family has clearly grown. Yes, tapper Jamie Pressnall is pregnant as her slight bulge and dress with a baby and umbilical cord showed (it’s a girl!), but the band’s family has grown in another respect. The Lawrence performance showed that “family” means more to Tilly and the Wall than just a blood connection because that night, Tilly made every single person inside the Granada feel like they were a part of their family.
The family atmosphere was abetted by Tilly’s good friends in the opening acts. Omaha’s Conchance opened with a unique blend of jazz, rock and hip hop music and fast raps. It took the group a bit to warm up, but they soon found their groove. The addition of a full band was a nice variation from the usual rapper/DJ combo. You knew the group was on a roll by watching the increase of dance moves in the audience.
Red “war” paint decorated the next band and as one member ferociously banged on a tom drum and the singers used effects to distort their voices, there was something attractively primal in their sound. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of them, but they kept me entranced with their raw energy and experimental noises that teetered between incomprehensible to crystal clarity. Fortuning, from Kansas City, is one group that I’ll be looking out for more in the future.
Lawrence natives 4th of July were the last of the openers, but certainly not the least. Their jangly rock never fails to impress me and as usual the bass player’s beautiful bass guitar with its rich, warm sound seemed as if it would be the star of their set. Yet, I was surprised that the real performance stealer was the addition of trumpet to a song, giving their sound a greater fullness. They gave a solid performance, but their Americana rock almost bordered on out of place with all the dance bands that filled out the rest of the bill. Almost.
Omaha’s Tilly and the Wall got the party started even before they took to the stage. As they shifted equipment, they tossed balloons out to the crowd and blasted the Michael Jackson hits in honor of the recently departed artist. Their bass drum even read in neon tape: R.I.P. MJ. The MJ hits and balloons appeased the crowd for some time, but soon they were clapping for Tilly. The band hopped and skipped out on stage to jump into “Cacophony.” Since Jamie is pregnant, the set up had to be tweaked a little and she played her usual tap part on a drum. She did this for other songs, played keys and still danced with her arms for most of the set. I’m sure that the audience would have excused her from all tapping, but she worked in some lighter taps for a numbers.
At first, I felt sad. What’s Tilly and the Wall without tapping? But this show really was a special treat. Even without their signature tapping, Tilly and the Wall was fun, fantastic and full-sounding. They proved that they don’t use the tapping as a gimmick. They can be great with any arrangement. Whether it is just vocals and guitar to all six members stomping, they are entertaining.
The crowd nor the band wanted the night to end. After the set had already ended with a big dance party on stage for “Rainbows in the Dark” that had a girl from the video, the openers, and our very own photographer, Nick Davis, on stage dancing, the band came back for an unpracticed encore. They even stuck around and continued dancing to Michael Jackson hits and dishing out hugs as the venue cleaned up the glitter (because after all, Tilly may still be Tilly without the tapping, but would Tilly still be Tilly without the glitter?).
The whole show really was like being at an intimate party with your closest family and friends. Hopefully, Tilly won’t play strangers to KC as long as they did last time and come back sooner for another show. Besides, as the sister city to Omaha and like all proud aunts, we want to see the baby!
Set List:
Cacophony
Dust Me Off
Beat Control
Blood Flowers
Nights of the Living Dead
Tall Tall Grass
Chandelier Lake
Falling Without Knowing
Sing Songs Along
Pot Kettle Black
Rainbows in the Dark
//
Pictures of Houses
Freest Man
Too Excited
Tilly and the Wall: website | myspace | interview with Jamie Pressnall | O review | Phila 1, Phila 2, NYC live shows
So I totally googled Conchance and you were the third hit. Awesome! I’m adding you to my reader as we speak!! Miss ya girl.